Plan B of Teaching
If you teach for any length of time you find a day or days where everything does not go as planned. Have you ever experienced any of the following:
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Your computer or one of the kid’s computer is not working.
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The white board or projector are not working.
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You don’t have the assignment for the class you took over.
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You just started a very important assignment with the class and they have a fire drill, disaster drill, etc.
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The answer key you were given is incorrect.
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You have an emergency at home during class.
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Someone gets sick or has an “accident” in the class.
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The kids don’t have good internet connection for Zoom classes.
I have experienced all of these and more in my time teaching. Why do I mention it? Because if you are going to teach, you have to remain calm in the midst of the storm. I admit I am not always the calmest when stuff hits the fan, but I am learning to go with the flow, expect the unexpected, and have a Plan B if need be.
It isn’t always easy to think clearly when things go wrong, and depending on the situation, it can become awkward and even weird at times. The one thing I know for sure is, problems are going to happen at the worst possible times (or so it seems), so you might as well be flexible and bend a little.
Since reading is so foundational to all levels of learning, I fall back on reading a lot…as a group and individually. I found just today an assignment that had a reading portion to it and as I read through it, it was apparent that the vocabulary was pretty advanced for the grade level and the kids were having problems not just with pronouncing the words but with understanding what they meant! I ended up reading most of it to them and stopped periodically to field questions or check for understanding.
I also have no problem reviewing something that they have completed earlier in the week. Often I find that everyone did not understand it the first time anyway, so the review is certainly a good fallback to recap and discuss.
Lastly, I try to have one key teacher that I can call or text for support if all does not go as planned. Whether in person or online, a backup support person is vital for your sanity!
What are your go to Plan Bs when you get thrown a curve? Feel free to share. I am always open to creative ideas in teaching.
P.S. I know that remote teaching has a whole set of unique problems, but we still need a Plan B for those situations as well.
Shalom!
Daniel Skognes
Tags: #PlanBofTeaching