Thinking Too Much. Teaching Better with Less.

I think too much.

The last two years, I have thought too much. Maybe some of that came from being at two new schools in two years. New students, new content, new expectations. There’s a lot to figure out when you’re starting over, and apparently my response was to give myself even more to figure out.

I constantly felt like I needed to upgrade. Move the needle. Do something outside the box. Take a lesson that worked and find a way to make it better, bigger, or different.

I stressed myself out.

Somewhere along the way, “What do my students need to learn?” started sharing too much space with “What else could I do with this?” And I can spend a ridiculous amount of time answering that second question.

So this year, I’m back to basics.

Good, solid instruction. Good, solid EduProtocols that I know work. The EduProtocol Rack and Stacks that got me here in the first place. I’m paying more attention to why one activity follows another and giving students time to do something meaningful with each one.

I’m no longer trying to get through five, six, or seven protocols. There is no prize for fitting the most into 45 minutes. Although, knowing me, I probably would have tried to win it.

So far this year, I’ve introduced Fast & Curious, Thin Slides, Cyber Sandwich, Parafly, Frayer, Sketch & Tell-O, Thick Slides, and Hexagonal Thinking.

Do I need more? Probably not.

Will I introduce more? Yes. A few. I know myself.

But I want a reason for introducing them beyond having something new to try. There’s plenty of thinking students can do with the routines they already know. They can read something more challenging, make a stronger comparison, explain a connection, or go back and improve an answer. I don’t have to change the format every time I want to push their thinking.

That’s been my focus: teaching content through skills.

The content gives us something to think about. The protocols give students a familiar way to work with it. We’re practicing how to read, paraphrase, compare, explain, and support an idea while learning social studies. That’s plenty to work on.

I’m also letting go of the pressure to entertain. I’m done trying to smash EduProtocols together just because the combination might look cool. I still enjoy a creative lesson. I just don’t need every lesson to become a whole production.

And honestly? I’m more relaxed.

I’m grading about 90% of the work on the fly as students do it. I can see what they understand, ask a question, give feedback, and have them make an adjustment right there. That has felt manageable, and it keeps my attention on the work happening in front of me.

It’s been a good year so far. I’m enjoying teaching, and I’m finding that I can trust the routines I already know work.

I still think too much. But I’m getting better at looking at a solid lesson and letting it be enough.