So I was thinking today...

...as I drove to work about what matters in my classroom, and how it has changed since I started. Now keep in mind, I'm still pretty much brand new, with 1.33 (repeating) years under my belt so far. Mitigating that small amount of experience is the fact that it took me until I was 25 to get my four-year degree. What I lack in work experience, I make up for in emerging bald spots, so there.

Anyway, getting back to what matters. I thought about what I, as a teacher, deemed important as I struggled through last year, and it goes a little something like this:

1)   Figure out how to fill a class period with activities.

2)   Figure out how to fill a class period with meaningful activities.

3)   Figure out how to fill a class period with learning activities.

4)   Figure out how to b.s. your way through 5 minutes of anarchy at the end of a class, when your best-laid plans fall apart.

5)  Measure what students are learning.

6)  Realize that your measurement tools are crap.  They are broken rulers.  They are warped protractors.  They are politics.

7)  Effectively, efficiently, and proactively assess the meaningfulness of buzzwords as pertains to assessment.

8)  Measure what students are learning without grading.  This is a fun trick, like dancing without legs, or getting drunk off sparkling grape juice.

9)  Find out that re-teaching and repeating are practically antonyms.

10)  Realize, as your voice finally comes back over Christmas break, that classroom management really is as important as they said it would be.

11)  Understand, finally, that you probably weren't the best student, and you should have cut your teachers some slack.  Except for Mr. Johnson; man, that class was pointless.

12)  Realize that running out of ideas in April is a bad place to be.

13)  Realize that the last day of school, not unlike your wedding, college graduation, and first arrest, will go far too fast, and all those super-memorable things you wanted to be your last words, your parting bit of wisdom to your first class, will go unheard once the kids realize you're lecturing them on their last day.

I'm sure that's not all, but I feel like it's fairly accurate.  If you have anything to add to the list, or maybe a list of your own, feel free to share it in the comments.

Oh, oh, wait, 14)  Don't stay up until 2:00 a.m. when you have to get up at 5, simply because, and I quote, "It's May 5th!"