Thursday, October 20, 2011

Habit or Rut

I recently found the following writings, written for teachers by teachers. I believe that it will be thought-provoking and challenging – which is what makes a great Friday Focus. It forced me take a reflective lens towards my own practices, processes, and patterns. I’m sure it will for you, too.

“Habit is necessary; it is the habit of having habits, of turning a trail into a rut that must be incessantly fought against if one is to remain alive.”
~ Edith Wharton (American Novelist and short-story writer, 1862-1937)

We are creatures of habit. Look around at what you do. Has your desk been in the same spot for the last seven years? How about the posters on your walls? Is that worksheet you just sent to be copied the same one you created years ago on Microsoft Office ‘98? Is the way you teach spelling the same as it was when Bobby’s father sat in your class twenty years ago? Whether or not you believe he is credible, Dr. Phil would ask, “How’s that working for you?” In today’s world of education, this is a valid question.

As our professional obligations change, we have all been required to more closely and extensively examine the content we teach. But now is also the time to think about how we teach that content. If we have to change, we might as well go for it all. It is admittedly unsettling to suddenly have to move out of a comfort zone. But if you have found yourself or a colleague complaining over and over again about something that is (or isn’t) happening in the classroom, maybe it isn’t the kids. Maybe it isn’t the change in schedule or the people you work with. Maybe it isn’t parents. Maybe it’s you.

“The path of least resistance and least trouble is a mental rut already made. It requires troublesome work to undertake the alternation of old beliefs.”
~ John Dewey (American Philosopher, Psychologist and Educator, 1859-1952)

So many times we as educators think that all students “get it” the same way, or at the same pace. Anyone around for any length of time knows that’s never the case. (Even though NCLB and the “testing czars” seem to have that mindset!) As frustrating and time consuming as it is, changing things up a bit might be necessary. We’ve all heard the faculty room conversations about how students seem to be less skilled than in previous years. Whether that’s true or not, that’s just a statement of the problem. More importantly, what can you as the instructor do about it? What’s your solution? Maybe it’s time for the positive approach, especially at a time in education when it’s so easy to become negative.

The “How’s that working for you?” question might also be directed at classroom management. Is barking your expectations of students more loudly really making them understand better? Is asking the same student to sit in the hallway for consecutive classes altering his/her behavior any more the third time than it did the first two times? After slamming the door to get the class’s attention for the third time this week, maybe it’s time to rethink that strategy. Again, how’s that working for you? No matter how much experience you have, asking colleagues for help or what their strategies are for making students/classes successful might be a good place to start. Don’t be afraid to keep growing as a professional.

The only avenue to make change rests within yourself. Being willing to change even when it isn’t easy or might require more work might provide you with the answer to “How’s that working for you?”

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