Stepping Back So We Can Move Forward

This afternoon didn’t go well. Here’s a list of reasons why:

• I wasn’t as prepared as I should have been.
• I had a headache that started in the morning and never went away.
• I was teaching something the kids weren’t ready to learn, at least not all of them and definitely not the way I was doing it.
• I struggled to accept the examples they were sharing after the mini lesson.

So, I took a deep breath. I reminded myself that this is what they know and what they can do at this point in time. My work is cut out for me. I have a direction I need to go in.

I will take small groups and address specific needs. I will give kids lots of partner practice before I ask them to write down anything. I will slow down.

I overreached and I need to take a step back.

And, that’s what I love about teaching: as teachers, we get do overs every single day. And, so do the kids.

Cross posted to Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Tuesday.