The question for caring teachers today is the following: Can you run a balanced, engaging, child-centered program and meet standards too?
The standards are intense. On the positive side the standards at my level, fourth grade, represent essential skills and leave room for student-centered program design. On the negative side the standards leave a lot of essential school efforts out. Efforts such as responding to each child's passion, teaching to a child's strengths, teaching the child first, not the grade level, including lots of great tech, invigorating STEAM efforts and exploration, outdoor nature study, time for play, the arts, physical education and more.
Also, at my grade level, to meet all the standards requires considerable, daily practice--much of which is dry compared to the exciting world of learning outside of school including gaming, travel, great film, funny shows, social opportunities online and off, hands-on building, recreation programs and more. Plus I wonder if the equation of optimal student/teacher energy/time related to mastery expected is realistic or even doable given the number and depth of standards, and the variety and diversity of learning variables in a classroom.
This challenge puts a teacher like me in a challenging place. Yes, I want to meet all the standards, and I'd love for every one of my students to pass all measures with excellence. Yet, I want all of my students to be happy, inspired, engaged, and curious--I don't want to drill the standards to a point that my students are unhappy, bleary eyed, and feeling like education is nothing by a chore, when we all know that learning, when done well, is wonderful.
As teachers with multiple expectations we're always being ask to make trade-offs? What do you think about this? How do you react when it comes to teaching a balanced program versus meeting each and every standard?
I'm moving forward with the following efforts. I'll contribute about 2/3 of my teaching time to teaching the standards with the best possible, student-centered lessons I can use. I'll rely on my team's collegial efforts to support me in this regard. Then for the final 1/3 of the teaching day I'll work on invigorating, student-centered PBL that utilizes great tech, collaboration, student questions and more. Let's see if I can meet the standards while still responding to student needs, interests, and passions as well as the wonderful, inviting learning opportunities that exist.
If you have any wisdom on this topic, please share.
