I used to think that if I explained things several times to students they would eventually learn it.
Now I know that talking is learning, so I try to talk less so my students can learn more.
I used to think that I had to fill up every moment with activities or kids would get bored.
Now I know that students and teachers need some down time to move around and talk informally before moving on to the next thing.
I used to think that assessing kids was separate from everything we do in the classroom.
Now I know that I am assessing all the time.
I used to think that I needed to rush to decorate my classroom to show students I cared enough to make our classroom look pretty.
Now I know that the classroom needs to be owned by all of us – teacher and students – so the walls are bare at the beginning of the year and slowly get populated with student work – finished and in progress.
I used to think that only published authors had the right to call themselves writers.
Now I know that we are all writers, whether or not anyone ever reads what we write.
I used to think the best teachers were the ones who always said yes to every initiative, committee and request from admin.
Now I know that to accomplish anything important you have to set goals and priorities and sometimes that means saying no to things that don’t advance those goals and priorities.
I used to think I was a victim and that I had very little control of the outcomes in my life.
Now I know that I create my own reality through my thoughts and feelings.
I used to think that giving kids time to read and write where they had lots of choice, was important.
And, I still think that.
Cross posted to the Two Writing Teachers March Slice of Life Story Challenge.
Elisa Waingort 
I love this post! It signifies the simplicities of teaching that are often overlooked! I love the idea of filling the walls with student work! I’ve seen classroom walls filled to the brim with poster after poster. Some days it is nice to see teachers that still care about the little things.
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So many truths and some hard lessons learned! I love how you ended this with that universal truth! I am glad to see you slicing!
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Hey, Leigh Anne! Thanks for commenting. I am so enjoying this month of slicing so far.
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I love the feeling of growth and change throughout the whole piece and then the twist at the end – everything doesn’t have to change as we grow!
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Exactly! We need to keep the good as we change what isn’t working. Thank you for commenting.
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Love the lessons learned and how you crafted this piece. I used to think but now I know is such a great way to reflect and see our growth. Thank you for sharing how and showing how we change as educators over time and that is a good thing!
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Yes, change is good and sometimes we just need to keep what works. 🙂🙂 Thank you for commenting.
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Great writing inspires others, you just did that with this piece. I plan to add it to my list of writing prompts. It is a great way to document growth in students.
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Yes, and I noticed a few students using this idea (not necessarily the specific words) during parent-Teacher conferences when talking about what was going well in school for them.
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