As a teacher, I am constantly looking for ways to refine and make my practice better so the children I teach can learn to the best of their ability. In fact, I think in all aspects of my life I try to not make the same mistake twice (except for losing keys and not having a spare). I strive to make everything I do a little more efficient as time goes on.
So this year, my fellow teachers and myself are doing something different from our school’s standpoint. Because all students have different learning styles and levels, we are splitting our fifth graders into three separate math classes to better fit their needs as students. We have been having trouble with each passing year differentiating for each student based on the following questions: What do I do if my student already know the material? What if they don’t understand the material? Because of this, each teacher is going to take a group of students for the entire year to be their math teacher.
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Since this is a new teaching practice for our students, on Friday we gathered them all together to explain to them that everyone “needs” something different when it comes to learning, and we as teachers are there to provide them assistance and push them forward as learners. During our fifth grade pow-wow, a student raised her hand to help clarify something for her own understanding.
“So, we’re going to be in the math class that is easy for us?”
Which got the three of us thinking. Luckily, one of the women I teach with is excellent at spur of the moment questions like this, while I have to think it over and ponder for a while before I could formulate an eloquent response. She responded with the answer of “no” – because if this math class was “easy for them, they would be in the wrong math class.”
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As a teacher, I would never want my students to think their work is “easy”. In fact, I work hard to change materials so the work is never easy for them. If easy was the answer, no one would be challenged and no one would have to reach to learn something new.
When I was running the other day, this concept popped into my mind. For the past few months, I have been doing what is “easy” for me. I have been hovering along the 3-5 mile mark because well, I didn’t really feel like challenging myself. There’s a time to challenge myself with fitness, and then there’s also a time to take it easy like I was. I, however, start to get bored when I am not challenged or something because too easy for me.
Because I want am going to be running a half marathon in January, I decided last week I wanted to start challenging myself again – starting with a seven mile run last weekend.
It was absolutely hard. Running five miles and running seven miles physically and mentally are different for me. When I start to get above the six mile range, that is a “long” run for me – and it was long. I took walking breaks. I stopped to stretch. I didn’t even care what my time was. I just wanted to finish it – and I did.
Was it challenging? Absolutely. Did I finish it? You betcha.
So this past weekend, I set out to run another seven miles. And you know what? I took less walking breaks. I stopped less to stretch. I still didn’t care what my time was. And last but not least, I finished it strong.
Doing something new or after a long hiatus can be scary, and it most definitely is not easy by any means. But once we start to accept having things being easy, we start to get complacent with life. Me? I want to constantly be challenged – both physically and mentally – in life. If everything is easy, then that means I am just skating by, and that is something I won’t be okay with.
This, of course, can be applied to anything in life. Is your schoolwork hard? Guess what – you’ll get through it and you’ll be stronger in the end. Maybe your job is too easy – find a way to challenge yourself. Are your workouts getting boring? Change it up and make yourself work for your goals.
My parents were firm believers in letting me know that life is by no means supposed to be easy or fair. It’s what you do with what you are given that really makes your character shine.
source
All I know is you won’t find me on Easy Street, and I hope you aren’t either.
Question: Have you ever been faced with a situation that you deemed too “easy” or too “hard”? What was the result of that situation?
As a teacher, I am constantly looking for ways to refine and make my practice better so the children I teach can learn to the best of their ability. In fact, I think in all aspects of my life I try to not make the same mistake twice (except for losing keys and not having a spare). I strive to make everything I do a little more efficient as time goes on.
So this year, my fellow teachers and myself are doing something different from our school’s standpoint. Because all students have different learning styles and levels, we are splitting our fifth graders into three separate math classes to better fit their needs as students. We have been having trouble with each passing year differentiating for each student based on the following questions: What do I do if my student already know the material? What if they don’t understand the material? Because of this, each teacher is going to take a group of students for the entire year to be their math teacher.
source
Since this is a new teaching practice for our students, on Friday we gathered them all together to explain to them that everyone “needs” something different when it comes to learning, and we as teachers are there to provide them assistance and push them forward as learners. During our fifth grade pow-wow, a student raised her hand to help clarify something for her own understanding.
“So, we’re going to be in the math class that is easy for us?”
Which got the three of us thinking. Luckily, one of the women I teach with is excellent at spur of the moment questions like this, while I have to think it over and ponder for a while before I could formulate an eloquent response. She responded with the answer of “no” – because if this math class was “easy for them, they would be in the wrong math class.”
source
As a teacher, I would never want my students to think their work is “easy”. In fact, I work hard to change materials so the work is never easy for them. If easy was the answer, no one would be challenged and no one would have to reach to learn something new.
When I was running the other day, this concept popped into my mind. For the past few months, I have been doing what is “easy” for me. I have been hovering along the 3-5 mile mark because well, I didn’t really feel like challenging myself. There’s a time to challenge myself with fitness, and then there’s also a time to take it easy like I was. I, however, start to get bored when I am not challenged or something because too easy for me.
Because I
wantam going to be running a half marathon in January, I decided last week I wanted to start challenging myself again – starting with a seven mile run last weekend.It was absolutely hard. Running five miles and running seven miles physically and mentally are different for me. When I start to get above the six mile range, that is a “long” run for me – and it was long. I took walking breaks. I stopped to stretch. I didn’t even care what my time was. I just wanted to finish it – and I did.
Was it challenging? Absolutely. Did I finish it? You betcha.
So this past weekend, I set out to run another seven miles. And you know what? I took less walking breaks. I stopped less to stretch. I still didn’t care what my time was. And last but not least, I finished it strong.
Doing something new or after a long hiatus can be scary, and it most definitely is not easy by any means. But once we start to accept having things being easy, we start to get complacent with life. Me? I want to constantly be challenged – both physically and mentally – in life. If everything is easy, then that means I am just skating by, and that is something I won’t be okay with.
This, of course, can be applied to anything in life. Is your schoolwork hard? Guess what – you’ll get through it and you’ll be stronger in the end. Maybe your job is too easy – find a way to challenge yourself. Are your workouts getting boring? Change it up and make yourself work for your goals.
My parents were firm believers in letting me know that life is by no means supposed to be easy or fair. It’s what you do with what you are given that really makes your character shine.
source
All I know is you won’t find me on Easy Street, and I hope you aren’t either.
Question: Have you ever been faced with a situation that you deemed too “easy” or too “hard”? What was the result of that situation?