Almost 10 years ago, I reached a
point in my career that I believe most teachers arrive to at some point. I had
to acknowledge that I wasn’t as good of a teacher as I thought I was. I can recall
the moment I decided that the way I was teaching wasn’t helping my students learn
and I needed to change quickly.
It was time to prepare students
for the state test and I was failing. My students DID NOT listen to me! None of
my traditional classroom management tricks worked. As I sat at my desk feeling
defeated, I thought about what the kids truly needed. I think we all can agree
that test prep is grueling. It’s devoid of all joy. As my mind churned, I
realized that the kids needed more joy. So I decided to find a way to link test
prep with play. In order to do this, I had to ditch my old rulebook.
What a
crazy idea right? Like many teachers, I had collected a long list of dos and
don’ts throughout my career. Keep your students working at all times, make sure
your students understand and can repeat their learning goal for reading if an
administrator asks, and most importantly, maintain control of the classroom or
no one will learn anything. Here’s the thing. I realized my management was so
poor that they weren’t learning anything anyway so why not trash the rulebook?
Up until this point, it wasn’t helping me or my students.
My rules pointed towards structure, control and compliance.
Because of this my students weren’t having fun at all. I am a fun, spontaneous
person and I wasn’t even having fun while teaching because I was so focused on
my long list of rules. I wanted to be the definition of the perfect teacher. I
wanted to impress my principal and get her firm head nod of approval when she
walked into the room. But Ms. Perfect wasn’t getting me anywhere. The truth is,
Ms. Perfect was getting ignored. Each day, I followed the rules and push
through the test prep packets I was given to teach. My lessons lacked
excitement and joy, and I started to feel burnt out and unhappy. It wasn’t long
before I noticed that my students were mirroring my own feelings.
I put the students in partners. They didn’t care. I put them in small groups.
They talked over me every chance they got. Nothing I did was exciting or new so
they dismissed me and my class. My classroom wasn’t a place they wanted to be
and truth be told I didn’t want to be there either. I began to doubt my
decision to teach at this school. I started to think that maybe I made a big
mistake. And then I began to wonder, “What would happen if I
just…let…go?” What if I stopped trying to force my students to learn
the way my official teaching rulebook said they should? What if I actually
created activities around their needs? I worried if throwing away my
rulebook would change anything at all.
As I was pondering these types of questions, a lightbulb went off in my mind.
Why was I so focused on myself and what others would think about me? Why did I
want that head nod so bad? I shouldn’t be the primary focus of my choices; FUN
should be influencing me instead! I began to imagine what the learning process
would look like if I prioritized creating activities that allowed students to
have as much fun as possible while collaborating with one another. I’ve always
been a creative person. Why not apply my creativity to the classroom?
When I made the choice to throw away my rulebook, I made the
choice to create a space that was more child-centered than I would have ever
thought possible. I chose to make fun the most significant part of the
experience in my classroom. When I made this choice it allowed me to escape the
confines of traditional education, drop the Ms. Perfect act and create space
for students to experience learning the way it was meant to be: fun!
Every time we step in front of the classroom we get to make a
lasting impression on our students’ school experience. So to all my teachers
out there, both fellow and future educators, have fun! Throw your rulebook in
the trash and embrace your silliness! Walk on your desks (Shout out to Abbott
Elementary), dress up, and most importantly, get ready to become the
type of teacher your students will always remember.
