Teaching is supposed to get easier with time and experience right? Teachers learn and grow from mistakes they make in the classroom. We learn to be flexible and can stretch our creativity to the max.
It is not getting easier for me. I'm on my 6th year and looking back to year one I was a mess. Looking at year six, I am still a mess.
My room always seems to be chaotic, but I like to think of it as productive chaos. Kids are working everywhere on different things. From worksheets, to research, to educational games, to inventions. I try to keep them between a level one and two (whisper to group talk) but the volume just keeps increasing as the kids get more excited. I just stand and watch the learning happen. I in turn learn myself as the students run about to be about their findings. The students problem solve, use their real world math skills, talk about geography, read as they become explorers, mathematicians, scientists, researchers. If a visitor comes in to visit,they many think that there is no classroom management or control, but there is. I believe that as long as no is crying, bleeding, hitting, screaming, and the students are on task then I tell the kids go for it. Just go for it.
All the noise does bother me. It makes me nervous. I worry that administration will come in and not see me in the front of the room "teaching". I worry that what they are learning has nothing to do with the state or city tests. I worry that I do not have printable data to collect from the students to show their progress in learning. What will I use to Data Dive?! ( Teachers are now statisticians) I worry all the time. And this makes me a mess.
