Let’s be brutally honest for a second.
If you are a teacher reading this, I have been where you are right now. I still have those first-day-of-the-school-year dreams. Students are pouring in, all excitement and energy, and I am frantically looking for my plans, which seem to have magically disappeared.
Or, maybe you are a newer educator, and have diligently planned the first month of the year with your classes, only to find that you are a week into the year and those plans are finished.
Possibly you are a veteran who has gotten over the five-year bump where you collected (I hoarded, let’s be honest) activities, materials, and curricular design that fill binders, only to realize that you don’t like any of it and want to start anew with your own philosophy and strategies.
You might hit the same wall that I did. After ten years in the classroom, I was working harder, building, designing, and organizing a “completed curriculum,” arriving at the conclusion that my students were doing less and less, I was exhausted, and all my time and effort was creating a learning culture that was ultimately failing my students.
My journey towards student-centered learning and agency within my classroom was bumpy, full of scoffing administrators, late nights redesigning units that worked” kind of,” research/ reading, seeking professional development that spoke to my needs, and MANY mistakes. It was humbling, to say the least.
Glacially, things began to shift. Students interacted differently with me and their peers. They engaged with feedback differently. Parents would stop me to tell me that their child is talking about what they discovered in class that day. Or, something that happened that they enjoyed that day—like the flaming labcoat incident, or that Twinkies don’t light on fire. Regardless, these positive changes were the evolution that I needed to make meaningful changes.
What I did NOT need during this time was more professional development that did not fit where I was in my professional journey. There were days where I had more time (also a new thing) to consider big-ticket items, like formative assessment methods, alternative summative demonstrations of understanding, and student-negotiated curriculum. One-size-fits-all pedagogy felt like I was spinning my wheels, waiting for time to work on the next steps for my students.
At other times, I was just seeking some tips on actionable steps that were lower-lift/higher-yield strategies that I could turn into tomorrow’s activity.
Fast forward twenty years, and the new shift is to share what I have learned. Learning Paths was started to champion teachers that are making positive changes in the classroom cultures and school communities. We start with discussions about what is working. What would you like to change? How can we directly help a teacher’s journey to improve the student experience while simultaneously rebuilding their own energy and love of teaching?
With those ideas at the forefront, solutions are co-designed and meaningfully rolled into the current classroom practice.
No asynchronous; do this for success—find a way to incorporate this strategy because it is the new best practice for someone else. Teachers are experts of their students and should be respected for the time they spent building the relationship. Strategies and methods should respect valuable teacher time, providing the time to investigate options that they see as a positive move for their classrooms.
For example, a conversation with a cohort of educators identified a need for quick classroom strategies that were familiar but shifted the class narrative towards student-centered pedagogy. Take what “kind of” works, and refocus in a new way. The request was to consider strategies that they could see rolling out with confidence, not forcing in ideas that may not fit the bill. Teachers then chose an item, co-creating actionable strategies for their next class. Our next meeting focused only on reflection about how things went and where to go from that point.
Knowledge without sharing is not knowledge. Teachers- I see you, and I have been there.
Let’s talk about meaningful pathways for your teachers. Let’s avoid my pitfalls. What classroom and school culture changes might happen when they are supported as individuals with specific ideas for their classrooms?