Teacher Tip Thursday! Stay FLEXIBLE!

I'm linking up with The Teaching Tribune for their Teacher Tip Thursday linky party!

My tip is:

http://www.theteachingtribune.com/2014/06/teacher-tip-thursday.html

I still consider myself to be a new teacher, and it's weird for me to give advice when I am still learning so much every day, but the one thing that I do tell teachers is to make sure to stay flexible!

You never know when a fire drill or an assembly will pop up and you'll have to scrap what you've planned for something that will take less time.

You might have technological issues, and you can't share that really great video you found yesterday that completely fits your learning goals for today. Your principal, another teacher, or a parent might pop into your room and need to talk to you right away.

Your usually-still-asleep-for-first-block students might suddenly be engaged and the lesson you planned to take the full 70 minute class might actually be finished in 25!

A student might ask a fantastic question in the middle of a math lesson that leads into a 40 minute discussion of government systems and social justice.

Or, you might simply have a bee fly into your classroom and it will take 20 minutes to get the bee to leave and the students to calm back down!

Anything at all could interrupt your lessons and your planning, but the important thing to remember is that just because it's on the lesson plan doesn't mean it is imperative to cover today! Have something in your back pocket for early finishers, and allow yourself to go off-script once in awhile. If the students are engaged and learning, that's the most important goal!

Comments

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