State of Mind Teaching: My thoughts...

Reflecting on the day

We don't have to be experts in everything we teach to be successful in our craft. We must, however, think deeply about the essentials. We need to know what to prioritize. We need to know, understand, and be able to choose what we believe is most critical for our students to know, understand, and be able to do in order to meet the learning targets we've set for them.

Our superhuman task:

Know our students... Know our curriculum... Know the limits of the hours in a day... Choose what to put before the kids who sit before us each day. Every day. Each and every year.

This is no small task.

Add in student relationships, professional obligations, mission statements, safety drills, indoor recess, (can we throw some fun in there too?)... the list goes on... where are we left? Overwhelmed.

Enter: State of Mind Teaching

I have occasionally been referred to as a curriculum nerd... a deep thinker... a process-out-loud person... I embrace it! It took me a long time to get to this place. The sweet spot. It is my state of mind and I am a teacher. So, you know what they say- if the shoe fits... I have discovered that the more deeply I think about, and critically choose, what I put before my students, the more meaningful their learning becomes. The outcomes are more worthwhile. An example? Often, in mulling over essential learnings, I will come to understand that a single word might be the key to deeply understanding a concept; so, rather than a tradition approach, I'll figure out ways to use that word for more than a mini-lesson or lesson. We'll engage with the word- build ownership of the word. We'll use it for transitions, in a song, in a prompt... sometimes it necessitates scratching out an otherwise fine and routine lesson in favor of a conversation around a well-crafted question. This thinking is not uniquely mine, but it is, in my opinion, significant and worthy for us as educators to develop. We must believe in our agency in the lives of our students.

And, we're here because?

Well, I had a wise professor in college who spoke of the infinite potential if we were to each teach two. I'm taking that approach to task and hoping that by sharing my journey as a nerdy, deep thinking, lifelong learner I might be able to teach two. And maybe those two can each teach two. And so on. Which brings me to...

Blogging?

Yes, blogging. This is my opportunity to reach two! (And hopefully many more!) It's a great tool for building community and sharing a message. And, yes, there are other blogs out there with wonderful thinkers who provide content I enjoy and grow from... basically, I'm just throwing my hat in the game. I know that I will grow in my craft as I research topics and build community around ideas I care about. I am just another voice helping to spread the message for deep and critical thinking, teacher agency, balance, and tying it all together for our kids.

Under construction!

As with any new project, this blog space is under construction- it may always be! I have some ideas for ways to share ideas that matter, but please drop me an email if you have any suggestions. Be on the lookout for Book Reviews, Question of the Week, Feel Good Friday, and more.

What next?

Please consider following me on Twitter and through email. I find lots of great thinking on Twitter and love to share through that platform as well.

Thank you! ...for giving up a few minutes of your day to consider my musings. I truly hope you will find some ideas worth thinking about, inspiration when needed, support for your work, resources, and even a quick chuckle to get you through a tough day!