The Forever Student

As we progress through our careers guiding the lives of those entrusted to our knowledge and expertise, it seems to me that there is an inherent obligation for teachers to also remain a forever student. Aside from the obvious research methods and ever changing legislation we must remain current on, there is an intrinsic reward in keeping the learning fires burning. If my lesson plans aren’t fresh, I am not fresh in presenting them. When I taught middle school I sometimes repeated the same lesson as many as five times in one day. As the day progressed I learned what worked well and what adjustments might make it better. By the end of the day the lesson I was teaching barely resembled the lesson I taught first period. In the teaching profession we have a vast treasure trove of materials at our fingertips if we wish to sample them. There are journals, professional development opportunities, conferences and the ubiquitous internet to name a few. Teaching is an exhausting profession, but I learned from Harry Wong, The First Days of School, that with a few procedures in place it ceases to be the sole domain of the teacher, and the students assume much of the day to day minutiae that can consume many instructional minutes. For an excellent example of a teacher handing over responsibilities and students thriving, look at Tim Bedley’s video at: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-160387722995531338#
Remembering myself as a new teacher, I couldn’t wait to put my lessons into action in my classroom. The sparkle of enthusiasm a teacher brings to a class is very contagious. If you love a subject or an activity, it is almost guaranteed that your students will love it too. Some years ago I began teaching Tom Sawyer to my 7th graders. I personally adore this book. I knew that if we just tried to plow through it from page one, my students would quickly get bogged down by the vocabulary and tune out quickly. How many of us could define adamantine or ambuscade ? These were common words in the 19 century, but have fallen into disuse in our modern times. They perfectly described an unbending Aunt Polly lying in wait for an unsuspecting Tom. Mark Twain had originally written this novel as a play, and that is exactly how I worked with my students to read it and act out the parts. They were enthusiastic because I was, and they could see the humor and timeless values Twain portrayed so well. To remain enthusiastic we can’t be content to rest on our laurels with lessons we have done so many times we can practically sleep walk through them. Students all know if a teacher is only half there and it greatly compromises their willingness to invest themselves and their time if they suspect this to be the case in their class. As I write this I am greatly looking forward to an upcoming TESOL conference. It is on a Saturday, so I will lose a day of my precious weekend, but I know I will gain new ideas and insights that I will use for years to come. I’ve been attending conferences for the past twenty years and always come away with something new I can perhaps change a little, or use part of, or in many cases take into my classroom exactly as presented. This has impacted my teaching in that I am always changing and trying to improve. I remain curious as to why some lessons are so successful and some less so. I am always open to something that might help my students understand a concept that has been elusive and frustrating. I love to hear how other teachers have tackled a problem that I haven’t been able to solve. So bring on the teachers, this student is ready to learn!