Choosing a Teaching Approach

It takes about 2 seconds in the teaching profession before you start asking yourself "Should I be doing something different?" Now, don't think I'm talking about the desire for a different career choice. Perhaps the more accurate question is "Should I be doing something different in the classroom?"

There are many reasons we are constantly assailed by this question as teachers: the desire to be more effective; the frustration of seeing students fail or show only minimal signs of life; administrators signing up for new programs; or the constant barrage of new ideas about teaching that are always being advocated.

So what is a teacher to day? Here are some suggestions purely from my own experience and lacking any sort of reference.

1. Play to your strengths. If you do something well that no one else does then make sure your plan always includes that strength.

2. Don't feel the need to be original. Some teachers feel like unless they are using a method that they developed themselves then they really aren't teaching. Not true. It is perfectly fine to use materials, ideas, philosophies, etc. that have already been created or developed. Using these already-existing materials allows you to free up more time to do things YOU are good at.

3. Develop the ability to ignore ideas. Not everything (even the great ideas) you discover can or should be implemented in your classes. It's okay to say "Wow, that's a great idea! But I am not going to use it because I am doing something else." It's not necessary (and clearly it is impossible) to use all of the great ideas that are out there.

4. Put your own twist on things. If you find a good idea you want to use accept the fact that you will need to change the idea in some way to work for you. Your personal and classroom circumstances will almost always be different that those of the creator of the idea. It's just fine to take an idea and implement only a small portion of it that fits. Nothing is set in stone.

5. Enjoy and value what you do do (hee-hee) in class. There has never been nor will there ever be a perfect class. Saying to yourself "when I get this approach mastered or when I have totally polished this lesson plan, then I will feel like I am effective" is a first step to burn-out and frustration. Each and every day, whether you feel 100% prepared or not, you get the chance to talk about a topic you enjoy and spend some time with students who you care about. That's a pretty good day job. Enjoy it and don't wait for things to be perfect to do so.

6. Never make a list with more than 5 items.

These are just some thoughts I've had and perhaps will find some literature on the topic for the future.