And today it has dawned on me. And you will smirk, because you thought of it right away and I'm just slow. Here it is: keep it simple. I've seen in it written on a number of Facebook statuses and it ravages my twitter feed. I have been told since I was about five that I need to 'keep things simple.' And I'm here to say: I finally get it!
Here's why keeping it simple is finally a meaningful phrase for me:
- Overthinking things is exhausting - As a chronic over thinker, I have known forever that it takes a great deal of mental and physical energy to overanalyze everything. This has not been disproved in the lesson planning department. There are some lessons that I have spent hours and hours planning. I thought of every possible scenario, I packed every minute with engaging, meaningful content for my students. And most of them tanked. I spent so much time worrying about fitting in all the things I had written down and literally or mentally scanning through my lesson plan to make sure I could check all my boxes, that I couldn't really focus on the task at hand. (For more information on this sort of thing, google "teacher autopilot"). When these lessons tanked, I was even more devastated because a little part of my soul died along with that 5 page lesson plan
- Simple Lesson Plans are Easier to Write - Really, find one good activity. Explain it clearly, and leave time for students to actually take the time they need and want to cultivate and create. Don't shove so many things at them that they can't focus. Everyone's life is full enough, don't overwhelm.
- Simple = More Time for Insights and Thinking On Your Toes - The thing I have found most helpful about my recent 'keep it simple' mantra, is how helpful it is for me to understand what kind of a teacher I am. Today I had a fairly minimal lesson planned, and I was able to a.) explain things clearly because I wasn't worried about stuffing a ton of content in b.) think on my toes to create additional activities that are precisely catered to my students right now. Because I was right there on the spot, I didn't need to think through every possible scenario beforehand, I just had to worry about the one that was in front of me. It focuses your thinking, and helps you to stay "in the moment."
Here's a copy of my lesson plan for a Social Studies lesson I did today. It's very simple, perhaps over simple. The goal was to understand the link between climate and daily life. We ended up only talking about housing but the connection the students did make was very strong and they were able to illustrate what I wanted by the end of the lesson. I felt positive and my students were engaged and learning throughout. Who knew, keeping it simple really works! Good grief!