Spring Cleaning Your Teaching Repertoire

As spring slowly but surely rolls in (or, at least spring break does), I look at my closet and think, "Man, I need to clean this out!"  My biggest problem is tossing out clothes...  I was thinking about why this is so hard, and then I realized that the clothes in my closet are there for many, many reasons.  There are:

• clothes thought I would like but never wore, 
• clothes that I bought because I liked the price, 
• clothes that I've loved and pulled to wear over and over (and worn so often that they are worn out--usually "the classics" or basics)
• clothes that  I forgot I even had (but they are still pretty new, still fit, and still go with other favorites)
• clothes that don't fit right any longer (if they ever did)
• clothes that I "might need one of these days"
• clothes that I am saving or have worn only on special occasions (and tend to wear only once or twice in a lifetime) 
• clothes that I wish would fit and might if I got back to a more ideal weight (and the definition of that varies by the day...month... year)
• clothes that I bought because I liked them and thought I'd make additional purchases so that something would match them (but never did)
• clothes that I keep because replacing them would be expensive
• clothes that have gone out of style but I still like them--even if they make me look more of a fuddy-duddy than classy
• clothes that are fun and easy to wear--like old college sweatshirts, jeans that are laden with holes--things we love to wear when not in public

Does this sound familiar?  (Don't even get me started on jewelry or shoes!)


Solutions never really seem to come with a full resolve like some people (most men) that I know have:  "If you haven't worn it in a year, give it to charity." 


Instead, I return to my thinking about each article of clothing (see bullets, above).  This leads to countless hours of staring far too long at each item, weighting the regret I might feel about each item--should I actually decide to let it go.  Many times, I end up keeping it--just in case.  But then my problem of a crowded closet is not solved, and the clothing I really wear ends up jammed into one end while all of that other "stuff" consumes precious space...and, when I revisit clearing it out again in a few weeks or months, my time will again be consumed, as well.


This has me thinking about teaching practices (and don't even get me started on resources and materials--the "stuff" we save). 

Is it just as hard to let go of teaching practices as we clean out our mental repertoire of strategies?  


Why do we hang onto certain practices?


Teachers might hang on to:

• practices we have heard about but never tried, 
• practices that we thought we would like because we saw another teacher doing them, 
• practices that we've loved and used over and over (they are the "tried and true" most reliable pieces of our teaching repertoire)
• practices that we once valued but abandoned for something else, thinking that we would come back to them... but then forgot... but we still find them appealing and think we could fit them in once more
• practices that just don't fit with our teaching philosophy but we hope that we will one day figure out a way to use them effectively
• practices that we "might need one of these days" if we mentor, talk to the principal, write a book, have a student teacher, etc.
• practices that we are saving for or use only on special occasions (like holidays or parent events)
• practices that we wish would fit our style and might... if we ever reached our goal of being a "perfect teacher" (and the definition of that varies by the day...month... year)
• practices that someone told us that we should try but that we have never been able to fit in 
• practices that we keep doing because replacing them would take a lot of time and energy or more planning time than we can expend right now
• practices that have gone out of style but we still like them--even if they make me look more of a fuddy-duddy than classy
• practices that are just fun or easy to implement

I have never heard anyone say, "If you haven't used a teaching strategy in a year, drop it from your practices."



Since there is no exact rule about which teaching practices to keep and which to abandon, how do we decide?


When I think about my closet, the motivation to clean it out is most often borne of necessity--I'm running out of space, it's hard to quickly locate exactly what I want,  and I get frustrated by repeatedly shuffling through items that I know I don't want/need any longer.  Could these same things motivate teaching changes?


While I believe in the brain's capacity to remember countless teaching strategies, I know that there are times that some go by the wayside when new ones are emerging/being learned.  It's like getting new clothes and forgetting to blend in some of the old favorites--even though there are perfectly good even classics. Then one day, we "rediscover" them when the newness of retail therapy wears off and wonder why we had overlooked them in the first place.  This happens with teaching practices, too, especially when they represent something we really enjoyed, believed in, and knew worked effectively.

Do you have those moments of thinking, "Oh, yeah!  I used to do that!  Why did I let that go?"

Other times, you might think, "Yeah, I have heard of that, but I just don't have time."

So many times, we just get overwhelmed by all there is to do, so we fall back on what we know best... kind of like wearing the same clothes--whether we like them or not, believe that they are beautiful, or have anything to match them...

Sometimes, I do my laundry and wonder where I'm going to put everything; yet, I just can't bring myself to purge some of the old stuff, even if I'm not particularly attached to it any more.

Usually, this has to do with knowing that I will have to expend time and energy to take care of the problem.   Honestly, most often, I just do a bit at a time.  When there is enough temporary space to satisfy my current needs, I move on with life.

We do this with our teaching practices, too.  We expend the time and energy it takes to do something well, including the occasional new practice.  We gradually release our old practices that no longer fit our style or meet our needs, usually in small increments, eliminating any yearnings for them.  We never chase the Goodwill truck to retrieve our old clothes, nor do we feel particularly sentimental for teaching practices we no longer use/need.

The expertise we build over the years will always win out over "fads" or "quick fixes" because the practices we return to tend to be the best ones, just like the classic pieces in our wardrobe.  Our knowledge, know-how, and deep understanding of learning and raising thoughtful citizens is what makes teachers valuable and propel us forward--just like new clothes make even older (but classic) pieces feel fresh again.

But as for those tattered jeans... ahhh... that's another post for another day!