Final Thoughts on Plans, Re-Plans and Un-Plans
As you might expect, I can never do things like anyone expects, and why should I start now. Ergo, you will find below two brief-ish videos. The first is a vlog entry I made which walks through my thoughts and feelings about planning, teaching and adjustments made during my student-teaching experience. The second is an even short video, this time a screencast where I try to pull together some of the various thoughts posted on my blog, Twitter feed and in YouTube videos. And I have to be honest, its success or failure relies solely upon all the material I’ve gathered, collated, aggregated and then ignored.
Below you find a very lengthy vlog entry of mine. Rather than going back and writing all the information about questions, SWBATS, standards, assessments and reflections I’ve tried to do a week-in-review with regard to planning. To be honest, I’m more than a little exhausted from all this review, so I shall leave the bulk of my comments to the video.
Of course, for me 15 minute vlog is not enough time to say it all (perhaps I need to work on brevity). So I am also including this screencast. The original intent of the screencast was to visually try to connect planning with everything else. I have to be honest, it did not come together like I wanted so about 30 seconds in, I ended up switching over and giving me a chance to say some more about the whole process of planning and re-planning. What I can definitively say now is: planning is a bear, planning gets easier, planning works, but as with everything else, planning can only take you so far. In many ways, overplanning is ideal because it allows for you to change things up and still remain confident that what you are doing is teaching children and teaching content. While I’ve focused above, and below, on some of the little things, the big ideas and concepts don’t change. And as I’ve mentioned before and will again, I’m a big idea person. Sure I’ll get frustrated when I have to switch up lessons and alter the flow, but in the grand scheme of things it doesn’t matter. Kids will learn. Teachers will instruct. And I know, I believe, I trust, that it all works out.
Teaching is play. Teaching is reflective. Teaching is praxis. Now I am tired.
Unorthodox History 
You put so much preparation into your work and I know it is frustrating when something happens and changes have to be made. It is good to hear you say that no matter how much planning you do, you need to remain flexible. You will find in your teaching career that there are lessons in the places you will not expect and sometimes they will be some of the best. Always be fluid!