Today I made a mistake I regret.
Where did the mistake arise from, and how could I have avoided the error.
I think the mistake mainly arose from my will to help all students achieve in math with success. There's lots and lots to teach--the pace is quick and the standards are many. There's no room for misbehavior or lost time to reach the goals, yet I'm working with a large diversity of learners--learners who want to play, learners who have other interests and goals, learners who are enjoying the holidays, learners who are advanced, learners who are working on foundation skills and much more variety.
So I started the lesson with a strong message that there was no room for misbehavior and that everyone had to listen. I was missing the supports I typically have due to absences, and there were many to help. I figured that a strong start would get everyone on track and I could help as many as possible. Yet that didn't work, and the lesson began to go awry.
In hindsight, I should have abandoned the plans and shifted gears. The lesson as planned relied on the support of two highly qualified teachers who were absent, and without their help, in hindsight, the lesson as planned would not work. There were many avenues I could have taken to teach a better lesson, and I wish I had the foresight to do that.
So the big lesson is to slow it down. Teachers are not superhuman, and sometimes the goals, the pace, the standards, and the expectations set are simply too big for the resources, time, and people available. With that said, it doesn't excuse my error. I apologized and hopefully those impacted will be able to forgive me. Onward.
