Pitfalls and Do Overs: A Classroom Reboot

From Mind to Momentum

The first thing you need to know about me is that I am an overachiever. I want to try new things, but I want to implement all of them, at the same time. This of course causes a lot of pitfalls and do over’s. The second thing you need to know about me is my mind is never quiet, I am bombarded with ideas, some good, some bad, constantly- I look at something interesting and need to pause and see how it can become a part of my classroom or how it can become something new. This I think, is because I have Dyslexia and so my brain is always on overload trying to make sense of my world. I need to work a little harder at seeing the big picture.

These two aspects of myself, cause my brain to be distracted a lot, as I revamp, tweak and envision. They also cause frustration because I never feel satisfied with something. I doubt my comprehension and always need to pause and make sure I understood things correctly or that I said something accurately. At the beginning of each class period, I replay the last and look for every smudge, every tear in the fabric. But, I also recognize the vibrancy of the tapestry. The positive aspects of the lesson. This in turn, sparks new ideas and the cycle starts again. My mindfulness strategies have such purpose here: breathe, own the pause, accept, and above all own it. Own my choices and never regret the fail.

Pitfalls and Do Overs

I tried a few things last year, that for one reason or another, didn’t work. The EDISON boards (see examples below), creating a wall with yarn and connections between concepts. This fell flat. It required students to collect artifacts and add them to the wall. Let’s just say, we had a half of a board all year- and it was the first unit. It ended up being dead space. As a community, we just couldn’t get motivated to keep up with it. Now, Hurricane Harvey through off the flow at the beginning of the year, but it was not an intriguing or inspiring space and thus it fell flat. I thought this would be amazing- I saw all these examples of ‘big picture’ connections gloriously forming- but alas, we didn’t even make one. This is one of those things that are time consuming and needs constant maintenance, so for me a pitfall that stays in the pit.

A second endeavor that fell flat was the community board (see pictures below). The calling cards were great- we used them repeatedly, throughout the year, to create collaborate groups and for students to find partners across class periods. But the board itself, again stayed almost exactly like it looked week one of school. The follow-through just wasn’t there. I finally took down the cards and moved them to a different wall and covered the community board with awesome student work. This, I consider a do over. I am going to try this again but make it wall of cultural heritage, interests and hobbies and science curiosities. Broaden it to me more of a fluid spot where weekly a different class updates it. This way they can maintain it easier. I love the idea of artifacts from all the different cultures represented in my classes all coming together as a mosaic of diversity. This makes it more personal. This is my #1 do over.

There were things that worked well in my classroom last year. Things that I have utilized for many years that will be dusted off and improved upon: flexible seating, makerspace design and the graffiti wall. These were appreciated by students and never felt like a chore or task, but rather an aspect of the classroom design, that helped the room feel communal and accessible. But, reconfiguring the tables and creating more cozy seating arrangements is step one. Not setting up the makerspace before school, rather, letting students organize it, to where it is user friendly for them, step two. Step three, buckets of chalk and no tables blocking the graffiti wall- making sure it feels like a fluid and free space for science expression and artistic creativity. It needs to be not only content specific, but a place to sketch, draw and collaborate for students. These are do overs, but in the magical sense that they are already a highlight and now just need a fresh coat of paint.

The Reboot in Thinking

The last thing you need to know about me, is that I reflect a lot. I write a lot. Yes, I blog a lot too and podcast, however, most of my writing stays, in my journal or on my computer. I share very little of it because I am extremely hard on myself. But I have flashes of inspiration, I read amazing educator blogs and Tweet’s and get a jolt of insight. There are so many educators, that I am so thankful for, that listen, read, and send positivity my way. There are also many more who support me by their presence, their openness to change, their collaborative nature, who chat on Twitter and with every click inspire someone. This is the epitome of change- when we share our pitfalls and do overs, we hopefully spark others to do the same.

This profession is glorious. It is global and universal. It is collaborative in nature- we truly make one another better, when we open ourselves up and let our voices be heard. Our words may fall flat, they may be overlooked. But, often, they resonate. Someone reads them and thinks to themselves- see other people struggle, with the same things I do. Someone else feels exhausted, underappreciated. Someone else is joyful and excited to be in the classroom. There is so much optimism and mindfulness in our Educator Twitter verse.

Pitfalls and do over’s, successes and refurbishing these are the cornerstones of education. Not everything goes as planned and that is okay. We know this going in. Our emotions as well as our profession, are truly universal and when we recognize this, we form a bond, a connection that runs deep. We will most likely never meet in person, but virtually we are friends. This wave, this network is a conduit – each circuit a surge of inspiration, each current a life-line and together, they create the mainframe for all educators. All you need to do is plug in. Can you feel the spark?