Just go for it

As teachers, we are always encouraging our students to take risks and challenge themselves. Sometimes we forget that in order for us to improve our teaching, we also have to take risks. There are teachers in all schools that will come up with any excuse why they can't do something. It's too hard, there are too many students, we don't have enough materials, the kids aren't ready, we don't have the time, we don't have the space, and blah blah blah. What I have learned in my 7 years of teaching, is that sometimes, regardless of your preparation, you just need to go for it. Get your feet wet. Don't be scared. Just do it.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you should always do what someone tells you to without questioning, rationalizing, or envisioning how it would work, but teachers really need to take the risks to implement strategies that are proven to work.

I have spent the last 2 months adjusting to my new environment and proving myself to the administration and I haven't taken the risks I should have to improve my instruction. Now that I'm feeling more confident, the gloves are coming off!!! The first thing I need to tackle is my Smartboard. I have a beautiful smartboard that has been lying dormant for the entirety of the school year because of my excuses, "I don't know how to use it," "I have no laptop to run it," and blah blah blah. Well, I'm fresh off Smartboard training, I have procured the needed laptop, and I am ready to go for it tomorrow. Yes folks, not next week or next month, tomorrow. I'm not even sure which lesson I'm going to attempt, but I am determined to turn that thing on, get those 27 bodies organized in front of it, and finally incorporate some technology into my teaching.

Next stop, the class wiki. I made it last year for my old school and I never got it up and running. This year, I am determined to get the parents involved and give them access to what we are doing in class online.

After that, who knows.