As I sit and type this…”we” (educators and students) are embarking on another historical year in education. Mere days from this post going live I will begin my 32nd year of teaching. Just when I thought I’d seen everything there was to see in my chosen profession COVID-19 forced us home for the last 3 months of the 2019-2020 school year. 

NOTE: To those of you new to the blog, I encourage you to go back to my previous posts. I took the opportunity to write my way through March-June of the previous school year and I feel that each post tells the story of how a teacher and the families he serves supported one another as each attempted to help the children who are now, again, faced with a similar situation due to the pandemic. Those posts seem like they were written years ago not months ago. 

Last week I wrote briefly about what the coming school year is going to look like. In order to get through the 2020-2021 school year we will all have to be willing to see what it is that we do; differently. One way to “get there” is to “let go” of the past.

In this blog post I want to explore Marie Kondo’s thinking of what brings us joy. According to Kondo, in order for “this” feeling of joy to be experienced, one needs to “let go” of things. “We” (you and me) do this by thanking these things for their service. So…the remaining space of this post will do two things;

1. “Let go” of things that do not bring joy to my teaching.

2. Think about the things that do bring me joy with regards to teaching and how “letting go” of things brings that joy forward!

Thank you for your service

Dear “idea” that an experience/activity has to be engaged "as designed,” 

“Idea,” you are very similar to lessons that are written that include elements that do not take into account the needs of the individual students I teach (see below). You do not bring me joy. Instead…you, “idea,” slow down any attempt to experience joy in both the art and science of teaching. I say this because of the friction that I encounter whenever I “run in to you.” It is at these moments that I need to slow down, in my planning, and figure out what to do with “you.” The time it takes to make these decisions could be time spent enjoying the planning process which would in turn help me to better enjoy the teaching experience. 

Maybe I should be looking at this another way. Maybe I should be saying, “Thank you ill designed experience/activity.” “Thank you for providing me the opportunity to slow my thinking down and determine what is the best course of action as it relates to the education of the students I teach.” I will continue to be mindful of these opportunities as I prepare to use a digital curriculum with my students starting the third week of this school year.

Dear "Boxes" above my cabinets,

You served me well several years ago when I moved to my current classroom. We both know that since then I've spent more time looking at you than accessing anything you hold. It is for this reason...and the fact that we are in middle of a pandemic...that I need to "let you go." I plan on doing this slowly. And...since we are only going to be in our rooms for 10 days to begin the school year, I may have to put “letting you go” on hold. When I do get to you, I promise to look inside each of you before "thanking you for your service." After which I will place you in the hallway to be taken away. 

So...to close...I will thank those of you that are getting ready to be let go. It is my belief that with each box that leaves my classroom a small weight will be lifted within me...leaving me lighter and more prepared to take on this challenging moment in my career.

Dear lesson that does not take into account the individual needs of the students I teach,

Lessons, specifically lessons provided to us during the pandemic, you never did bring me joy. Mostly, you brought me pain, anxiety, and stress. I know I should be a little thankful for you. You were given to us to help students and families get through the troubled times of this past school year. However, you were written in a way that was highly problematic with regards to certain populations of students, namely; the students I teach. That said, I learned a lot during our first round of “remote” learning with regards to what needed to be done with “you” and I did what I had to do to preserve the dignity of the students and families I serve.

As we get closer to the beginning of this new school year I will bring the experiences from this past Spring into the Fall. The pieces of these new lessons that do not take into account the individual needs of the students I teach will need to be “surgically” removed…just like I did this past Spring. It seemed “easier” to perform this type of “surgery” when “teaching” from home. The fear of being seen NOT adhering to a lesson with fidelity was lost. Why presume that adhering to a lesson with fidelity is good? That mind set seems to be “tone deaf” to whom the lessons are being presented to; unless said lessons are written in a manner that does address the needs of students…which is the whole point anyway…correct?! 

In reality, lessons that are written in a “tone deaf” fashion seek to keep students in their place. That is something I cannot allow to happen. School is supposed to help students imagine possibilities, it is supposed to provide opportunities of hope! The lessons that students engage with help provide the narrative of school; an entry point for them to enter and…if I have anything to do with it…imagine possibilities and hope! At any rate…I will continue to perform “surgery” on any of these new lessons that I feel are not meeting the needs of my students. Thank you lessons for the guidance you provide and thank you in advance for understanding that some of your components must be; removed.

Bringing Joy Forward

Having thanked the above “for their service” I can now think about how “letting go” of these things will allow me to bring joy forward to my teaching. Immediately, “letting go” of these things will free me to embrace that which I enjoy most about teaching…the experience of being around young children and guiding them through lessons and experiences that, in the moment, are addressing their needs, in a way that enables them to think about their lives moving forward, helps them see what is possible, and, most importantly; gives them hope!