Workshop Fever

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Have you ever had it?

You know what I am talking about.

You go to a workshop or conference and immediately want to come back and stand your classroom on its ear.  If you have attended any amount of conferences or workshop you have probably had the fever several times. I have, in fact I get it at least once a year.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the things I learn at workshops, but I always have to remember that change just for the sake of change isn’t always a good thing.

It is very much like the saying “Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water!”  For those that don’t know the meaning behind this phrase, let me try to sum it up for you with a little history.  Back in the days of the weekly bath, in many households it was customary for the bathing to take place using the same water and in order of age.  So by the time the baby was able to get a bath, the water was often so filthy that you could easily lose the baby in the muddy water.  And when it was time to toss out the water, there was a fear of throwing out the baby with the bath water.

Now how does this apply to us and our professional growth?

Usually we go to a workshop, get all kinds of great ideas and come back recharged and ready to go.  We also know that if we are not quick in implementation, we often will forget the great ideas we had during the training/brainstorming.  But the problem is that we don’t always think about how the changes will fit our current curriculum (I don’t mean textbook when I say curriculum).  Very rarely is a total eradication  of our current teaching necessary.

So how do we prevent “Throwing the baby out with the bath water?”

Here are my suggestions:

  1. Write down the great ideas from the workshop-we all know how to make a list, web or some other graphic organizer.  In fact we often teach them to our students and then forget how great a tool they are.  Why don’t we practice what we preach and use those great study tools we pass on to our students.
  2. Look at your current curriculum-Take a good look at how and what you teach.  What areas are you really doing well?  What areas are you struggling?  You might want to apply your new ideas to the areas you are struggling with.  Why mess with the good stuff?
  3. Look at your new tools/ideas-Is there a natural fit for some of them in what you are currently doing?  If so, these may be the ones you tryout first.  If there is no natural fit for your new idea, you may want to hold off on implementing it until you can better plan how to make it work.
  4. Prioritize-Make a plan of attack.  Put dates in there and please be realistic.
We all know that Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it sure did burn quickly.  Take your time with your new ideas and don’t burn yourself out.  No matter how many great ideas you have about teaching, there is always going to be another idea to come along that sounds just a little better.

Always remind yourself-I am inspiring life long learners so I need to be one too.

If my students are learning new skills, then I need to learn new skills as well.

Perfection cannot be attained in this lifetime.

I learned something new this week.  Do you know what a Bose-Einstein Condensate is?  If not, you can learn about it at the Chem4Kids website.  It doesn’t hurt to let your students know you are learning along with them.  In fact most of them like it when they know something you don’t, I know mine do.

Jason Bengs is a 6th grade teacher in Oklahoma. 

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Comments

2 Responses to “Workshop Fever”
  1. Brunsell says:
    October 6, 2008 at 8:40 pm

    Nice post — I really liked your suggestion of “prioritizing.” Too often we make our list and then let it sit. I would suggest that you add a 5th tip.

    Commit: Commit to learning and trying one new strategy or technique each month.

  2. Jason says:
    October 12, 2008 at 11:53 pm

    Good thought. If I post on this again, I will be sure to add it.

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