Turn and face the strange... ch ch changes

    Over the last year or two, I really stepped up my game in professional development attendance.  I wanted to get involved more in the process of change, because I had felt for a long time that some changes were necessary for our students to start experiencing more successes.  And in all the sessions I've attended on changing our vision of education, all the conversations with like-minded or semi-like-minded individuals, I often don't hear one point that I feel is pivotal--control.

    It is a fact that life is never certain.  It feels especially unpredictable right now, which causes us as humans to desire something concrete and tangible, something stable.  For teachers, it is most definitely their classroom.  No matter what is happening around the world, or what we or our students may be facing once they leave our building, when they are with us, we run the show and provide their education.  We need that structure.  And we tell ourselves that our students need that structure too.  They come from all kinds of situations, some of which are absolutely heartbreaking or tumultuous, and so they need the constancy of coming into our class and following a routine.



   And there is something to be said about students--children--needing structure.  We know that helps when they are learning how to interact socially with peers or understand the demands in a learning environment.  A routine can be helpful for them all through their years in education and beyond.  And goodness knows it helps us as well, because, real talk, "adulting" is hard y'all.  So it's totally understandable that teachers would want to ensure a solid and somewhat rigid framework is involved in their educational practice.  Even if you don't agree with the way education has been in the past, it is hard to compel yourself to change, when the underpinnings of the system were established for what we felt like was the good of the kids.

   The thing is, it is possible to do a great many more student-centered things in your classroom while maintaining organization for your kids.  We don't have to view student choice and classroom structure as mutually exclusive.  Students can feel safe and secure in your room, even if it sometimes feels noisy and disheveled.  But coming to this realization and accepting it is tough because it feels so backwards from what we are used to.  It's always difficult to change a mindset.  Something emotionally, mentally, or physically demanding often precedes a massive shift.  Many times, though, even through the struggle, we feel some sort of fulfillment with our new outlook.

     But you know what?  Not one of us has time for a huge, daunting, possibly terrifying change of ethos.  We have too many students, too many meetings, too much paperwork.  In homage to Elaine on Seinfeld, we "haven't a square to spare" of our time on something like student choice, especially when we as educators know our content better than students.  I mean, they're children, amiright?

    They are just kids, but I swear they are some smart and creative cookies.  They are resilient, funny, and full of initiative to make things around them better and brighter.  They want to make positive change, and any assumption to the contrary is our fault.  To be honest, I think we need to be more like them in some ways.  And we as teachers, definitely, at the very least, need to give them a chance to show us their capability.

   When we talk about students needing structure, we really just mean that they need clear instructions, goals, and parameters.  We do not have to be the "all-brilliant giver of knowledge."  Frankly we could ask them just about any question under the sun and they could get an answer for us.  (Their resourcefulness and access to knowledge via technology is downright impressive.)  So why not help them harness that talent, and do so in a way that does not make us feel like we are losing all authority of our classroom?

   You can experiment with all types of student-centered and student-driven learning ideas.  Project based learning, Genius Hour, self-monitoring, interest-based learning, there are so many ways to go.  But there is one checklist-type question that should be addressed with every one: do you have in place expectations for your classroom that are consistently adhered to by all, yourself included?  If you have clear procedures in your room that are continuously monitored, then the activities types don't really matter, because you students will value those expectations just like you do.

   Now I am not preaching here.  It is incredibly hard to relinquish freedom to students.  We are filled with "what ifs" about it.  What if it turns into chaos?  What if the lesson or project goes wrong?  What if my colleagues get upset with noise levels?  What if parents complain?  What if my Principal comes in and sees what he/she thinks is chaos?  The truth is those are real, though unlikely, possibilities.  Even if they did, though, a change like this is in the best interest of students.  You are making them better learners, better people, and that's an argument that no one could refute.

  I really don't know if I've made a case for you or not.  I hope I have given you enough reassurance to try something.  It is truly an amazing thing watching a student take charge of some aspect of their learning.  Their pride fills me with pride.  Education is not a bed of roses, but it's worth it for moments like that.