This week was supposed to finish the student led classes on World War I. Each group was to have taken its turn and finished on Friday, which would give me the next week to enter grades before the end of the quarter and Spring Break. However, like many plans, this one did not work out quite the way I had intended.
First, there was a set back on Tuesday, with school being cancelled for an unrelated community incident. This could not have been foreseen or planned for, so when it occurred all the plans were set back a day. Additionally, a school rally for St. Baldrick was changed so that the final two periods of Friday were lopped in half. I had planned for there not to be an 8th period (and planned accordingly!), but part way through the week I was informed that both 7th and 8th period would be reduced. These two, unforeseen situations, left me with few options, so I had to reorient the class schedules very quickly in order to keep them on task.
I really learned this week that even with proper planning, unforeseen events can set back or change your entire schedule. Teachers need to not only be well prepared--but also ready to think on their feet when in comes to lesson planning!
I was wondering about your week because I heard about the incident on Tuesday. Welcome to teaching...flexibility is so important!
ReplyDeleteTeachers should not be rigid in the classroom. They need to be loose, but organized. When students notice you are not out of sorts with an interruption they remain calm. Students feel secure knowing their teacher does not come apart at the first sign of a challenge.
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