Practicing What We Preach

This morning I had an epiphany. I was skimming through some research on writing and I realized that I was not comprehending the article. I was stuck in a "get it finished" mode. I was taking the easy way out. This is exactly what our students do and it drives us crazy. They get their work done but without understanding. Sentences are not capitalized. Basic mistakes are left unchanged. Then we ask them the questions- Did you include capitals? Are there other mistakes here? Why did you hand this in?

So I had to reset my mind and refocus. Then I had to refocus again. Why am I in this training? Why am I reading this literature? I want to be a better teacher. So I need to dig, reread, analyze and gleen. How can I expect fourth graders to do something that I am not willing to do myself? Why do teachers expect students to sit for hours and listen to them talk when those same teachers revolt after 30 minutes at a staff meeting?

How can I expect my students to learn if I do not invest enough time designing, dismantling and redesigning the learning environment?

So I went back and started again, rereading until I understood the article. It took longer but in the end it was worth it. I now have strategies that I can use to benefit my students.

Mr. Riggs