I Was Taught A Lot of Things

I was taught that the textbook was my guide.  I now know my students are my guide.  I was taught that the thing to “teach next” was the chapter coming up.  I now know that it depends on what their questions are, what they’re ready for, and where the learning leads us.  I was taught I should make worksheets for kids to fill in and collect points.  I now know that the half hour I spend creating a worksheet is better spent  engaging in discussions with kids and creating scaffolding materials to differentiate.  I was taught that my textbook was my curriculum.  I now know that people in textbook company offices, who’ve never met my kids, *might not know what’s best for my kids.  I was taught a lot of things.  A lot of things that weren’t best for my kids.

 *might in this case means “definitely not”