Sometimes it is so easy to fall into routine, especially with teaching. Unfortunately this can be easily seen by those few teachers who teach the same things in the same ways year after year. I had a personal experience with this when I was in a split Grade with 2/3, I had the same teacher the previous in Grade 2 and was in her classroom again in Grade 3. I found that I recognized a lot of the same projects- which left me feeling bored and unengaged.
This is something that I struggle with as a new teacher. I don’t want to be teaching my students the same way I was taught- not because all of my teachers were bad, but because both the kids and the world are different. I want to explore new ways of teaching and use my student’s interest to fuel my teaching. However, this is difficult- it involves constant learning and trying new things. Teaching in this way will not always be predictable or fail safe, but it will be interesting and fun.
So I challenge all of you (as well as myself), never to become that teacher who settles for the same things s/he did last year and to always try new things. Always move forward!
This picture is what got me initially thinking about this topic:
