Thirty years of teaching completed + a career average of 5.5 classes of English per year = 165.That is how many times I have taught any particular topic involving language arts.
I did the math, and now I have an understanding of why I feel some reluctance to fully write up lesson plans for my teaching. I've already taught it 165 times, and I have a pretty good idea how to go about teaching characterization, for instance.
That doesn't mean that it isn't essential to plan and write up lessons. As a matter of fact, it is a professional standard. So what to do--be unprofessional or beat myself up and write down what I already know?
I've decided to try a third option.
My interest in publishing books on education, I feel, has arisen from the tension between my professional standards and my professional experience. Rather than write better lesson plans, I will plan and write educational books!
I've written lesson plans my entire professional life, but by incorporating my knowledge and experience into book format, I will be experiencing something new. I can also share the process with my students, having them read, discuss, and engage in the activities and then provide me with feedback--learning all the while because the topics of discussion and interaction will be their learning activities.
This is the idea, anyway. It gives a lift to my step, provides a song for my pedagogic heart. All's well in Oz, and the yellow brick road lies before me, bright and clean and open.
Copyright 2009 by Thomas L. Kepler, all rights reserved
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