A memory crept back into my mind today, and it was one I hadn't thought about in quite awhile. Some of the events from this memory weren't even all that worthy of being remembered. In fact, it was a memory rooted in my own mediocre performance.
I was a 7th grade Texas History teacher at the time. We were in one of my favorite units, the Texas cattle drive days. I know it doesn't sound all that fun, but trust me, there is so much you can do with this content to bring it to life. So many of my lessons in this unit were great. We roped cows, went out and learned to live off the land and so much more. We spent more time outside the classroom than we did inside it. But it was a day inside the classroom during this unit that changed so much about how I would move forward as a teacher. At the end of this mediocre lesson one of my most challenging students came and talked to me about how much he had enjoyed class that day. I was shocked, this was middle of the road at best but yet there he was. It changed the course of the year we had together. So I asked him the question that wound up changing my teaching moving forward: "What worked for you today?" That was the moment that led me to think at the end of the day that it really isn't about how great I thought my teaching was, it was about whether or not it resonated with kids. Prior to that day I would spend a lot of time in isolation reflecting on my craft. I would talk to other adults but never the kids. When I started reflecting with kids on not just the learning, but the learning process I was transformed as was my teaching. I learned that some of things I thought were so great were really missing the mark. I learned that you don't have to teach the same lesson 4 class periods in a row. And I learned that there is both a transformative power and release from a burden when embrace the reality that your greatest resources sit right in front of you each and every day. So get out of reflecting alone, or in your small concentrated room of "adults know best" planning sessions. Do something innovative like plan WITH your students, not for your students. Don't just let kids give you feedback, encourage them to, including critical feedback. Above all, empower yourself with the realization that it's not about your teaching, it's about their learning.
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AuthorJeff Lahey Archives
January 2020
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