Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe it just feels like teaching is getting easier because I have a great group of kids this year (which I do). Maybe this teaching gig isn't all a grind after all of the hard work that gets put into every lesson, every detail, every staff meeting, every kid who just doesn't get it, every struggle to find the best way to reach that struggling learner... Ok, so it isn't all "easy".
"All things are difficult before they are easy."
Thomas Fuller
In reality, teaching is a difficult profession and I've come to own that. However, it doesn't mean that it can't be fun. It doesn't mean that I can't enjoy walking into work every day knowing that the students walking through my door are expecting me to be at my best and want to be entertained. I've accepted the fact that we're instructing a generation whose entire lives have been embedded into this exponential increase in data speeds, tech evolution, availability of information, and so much more. The truth of all of this is that it's what makes teaching these kids a little bit more exciting.
While I probably won't ever develop an abundance of 3-Act lessons like Dan Meyer, more than likely won't create a great site like 101QS, and it's highly doubtful that something like Estimation180 is in my future, my students are having fun learning a historically boring curriculum from a collection of online resources (like those stated above) and the ability to express their understanding in a number of ways.
Bottom line: kids who enjoy learning want to learn more.
While I probably won't ever develop an abundance of 3-Act lessons like Dan Meyer, more than likely won't create a great site like 101QS, and it's highly doubtful that something like Estimation180 is in my future, my students are having fun learning a historically boring curriculum from a collection of online resources (like those stated above) and the ability to express their understanding in a number of ways.
Bottom line: kids who enjoy learning want to learn more.
Above was an optional project to do while we were on winter break. Instead of spending the entire 2 weeks vegging out and letting MTV rot their Cerebral Cortex (OK now I sound like I'm getting old), they took some time away from Tweeting, Facebooking, and chillin' to put together a quirky little video about the exponent rules. I need to have a little session with them about movie lighting and recording, but the point is that they did something that they weren't assigned because it was fun. Yes, these students are highly motivated, but the point is that they're enjoying school to a point where the walls of room 205 is not where the learning stops.
During today's class, students tested out the stability and strength of their towers that were constructed out of nothing but craft sticks, duct tape, clear tape, and paper (minimal paper). Check out the video and try to come up with a question or two for tomorrow's class session (no really, I'd love to hear some ideas).
Bottom line: these kids want to learn and are learning more than I could have ever offered them with a textbook and worksheets.
Teaching is not easy. Teaching with fun and relevance makes it a whole lot easier.
Happy Fishing
Bottom line: these kids want to learn and are learning more than I could have ever offered them with a textbook and worksheets.
Teaching is not easy. Teaching with fun and relevance makes it a whole lot easier.
Happy Fishing
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