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Thank You for 20 Years.

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After 20 years of teaching at Brookfield Central, I am saying goodbye. Although I spent the majority of that time in the physics classroom alongside my learners. That changed for my last 18 weeks. I ended up in a place similar to where I started, teaching chemistry and biology. So, rather than dealing with juniors and seniors at the end of their high school careers, I was in classrooms with freshmen and sophomores still trying to find their place. At the same time, I was learning and teaching a set curriculum I hadn't taught in over a decade. So, we were learning. But, of course, I already knew the content.  The point of this post is to take a step back, take in, and share the gratitude from the last students I had in my 20 years at Brookfield Central High School through the cards and notes they made for me on my last day with them.  I don't take many yay me moments. But after 20 years, I think I'll soak this one in.
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Cooking my Content

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I was lucky enough to see Dave Burgess speak today.  It was amazing. I’ve read Teach Like a Pirate but the presentation I was able to be a part of what speaks to one of his many messages. It's not just what's on the page. It's how we bring it to life! This is just a quick reflection.

Content and standards are raw. They can be presented to learners, but that doesn’t mean they will be edible or nourishing.

They won’t be coming back for more.

In fact, they may take a bite and spit it out.

They may even have a violent reaction to it.

This summer, I’ve been working to design curricular units aligned to Next Generation
Science Standards. I’ve been feeling great about my work. Until I started to hear Dave
speak and realize how much I hadn’t thought about before I think about moving forward.

Have I preheated? I can’t just put the lesson out there unless the stage is set.
Have the students been primed to learn? Are they curios about what we are going to be doing?
Do the want to know?

Have I taken the students’ orders? Student voice is key.
Have I listened to learners ideas and interests in order to make that connection to their lives?

Have I considered the presentation elements?
Am I showing passion for what I am presenting?
Am I using powerful visuals experiences to present or just a series of words on a projected slide?

What will I do with content I am not passionate about?
Will I simply try to power through it or will I infuse it with the other elements that will
matter in life like Habits of Mind and Digital Literacy. When the content isn’t exciting, that
doesn’t mean the learning experience can’t be.

How will I know when it's done? Take the temperature.
Just because it looks done, doesn't mean it is.  You've got to taste it. That means getting feedback from learners.

As I look back at the curriculum I am building, I need to consider these questions and more. I could be preparing the best piece of content ever. But, I still have to add some heat and seasoning if it's going to create that memorable experience.

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