“It is not that I’m so smart. But I stay with the questions much longer.”           ~Albert Einstein

What will the new school year bring? As a result of my involvement with the Kenan Fellows, I am certain that this year will be full of two things….lots of learning opportunities for my students and lots of questions for me. Delving into the ELA standards and examining them with a fine-tooth comb has allowed me to come to a few conclusions:

(1) Some standards are not necessarily easy to interpret. They lead to more questions. Am I teaching this skill correctly? Will my students achieve mastery of this standard if I use one particular approach versus another? What is the best way to present our ELA standards to ensure student mastery?

(2) Not every lesson is a perfect lesson but something can be learned from every lesson. Although we’ve only been in school for five days, I’m already asking myself if the approaches and techniques I am using to present material and provide opportunities for students to explore the standards are the best. I find that I am questioning myself and my practice more than ever before.

(3) Sometimes asking questions is better than developing answers. As I examine how to prepare my students and ensure they attain the skills needed for fourth grade, I find that I am asking lots of questions, of my students and of myself. Why should we learn this skill? How will it help us in the future? When will we use this skill again? What is the best way to prepare students to use this skill? The questions go on and on and on….

However this year ends up I know for certain that I will be a better teacher because of the questions I am asking and the answers (or non-answers) I develop. I hope that I provide my students with the courage to ask questions of themselves and not be afraid of the answers. For me, the theme of my year is shaping up to be that sometimes the best questions are the most difficult to answer.

Happy new school year to all my fellow Fellows!