Fully Loaded…

No, I didn’t recently watch “Herbie, fully loaded.” I have just found new meaning in those words as I have become fully loaded with classes. I am excited, but using as much effort as possible to avoid being overwhelmed. Today, I taught history for the first time, a lesson that I was really excited about. I had big plans. I would do stations with the students, using the projector for one (to draw a large map of Africa) and detective stations, having students search their books, Bibles, and imaginations for answers to questions. This was all really great in theory, but we all know that when one thing goes wrong, it can be more like a domino effect. Unfortunately, the projector pitched a fit and absolutely, totally and completely refused to cooperate. And of course, during this time, my students found the projector fascinating. I was left with a projector that refused to work and a class completely distracted. After my students left, the other group of fifth graders came in for their history lesson. I had to think of something quick! How could I have them make other maps, without using the projector? I decided they would just have a drawing contest. We would see what group could draw the map. That’s exactly what we did. The second period was much smoother and I felt a sense of accomplishment since I had learned form my mistake. I am learning that much of teaching is preparation, confidence, AND the ability to think quickly. You have to be able to think of other things within a short period of time to make your lesson go better, to wake up your students, or to just make things more fun.