Tough Teaching Days

As we learned about powers of ten, students watched the
Eames' Powers of Ten Film and then completed this page.

Yesterday was a tough teaching day.

It wasn't the smooth, harmonious, creative day I reach for.

There were many factors that led to this including the fact I was teaching new content which always invites the unexpected. Also, the room is ready for yet another make-over--we just haven't found that just right set-up for the program yet we're getting closer. We started a new program in the morning too--one that's a bit early and short for optimal transitions, and it's Halloween week--a week of anticipation related to trick-or-treating, costumes, and parties.

If you look deep though, the day had some high points too:

• A child I've been trying to reach had his hand up a lot. 
• Another child caught me making two small math errors, which actually served the teaching/learning well since I could see his eyes light up when he realized that we all make mistakes. I congratulated the students for having the courage to speak up when a teacher makes a mistake. 
• We did power through the new material, and they liked completing the Powers of Ten worksheets after watching the classic movie and discussing the numbers. 
• A terrific teaching assistant was able to help a few children in need during math.
• Many students joined me in the room for lunch.

A tough day of teaching actually creates good learning. I've thought a lot about what led to our tough day, and today, I have a new plan for the rough spots. 

Onward.