Embarrassment of Riches
02 Feb 2010 Leave a Comment
I don’t know what kind of teacher I would be if I didn’t have access to the Internet, not just to plan tech-integrated lessons, but to be able to access the treasure trove of materials and resources available to English teachers these days. If you look through my pages on teaching, you’ll be able to see part of how I’ve benefited, and even that is only a fraction. I’ve gotten so much information and inspiration, and I am excited every time I get to contribute to that ongoing development.
However, in planning for the spring semester, I have definitely experienced the other side of that coin. At this point, I have so many great lessons and resources stockpiled that I can’t possibly use all of them, especially in a smaller unit like the one I am currently planning on sonnets. I’ve got interactive charts, RWT lesson plans, anecdotes from teachers on the EC Ning (including my own thoughts), Folger lessons, illuminated videos and much more.
But I only have four days available to teach sonnets. On the one hand, four 70-minute periods is a fair amount of time, but on the other hand, there’s no way I can squeeze all the resources I have into those four classes.
I’ve made a unit I think will be fun and interesting and engaging for my students, but I didn’t get to include much of what I have stored up. I have to remind myself that this doesn’t mean that I’ve failed, or that second-guessing myself wouldn’t be productive either. After all, the more I have to choose from, the more I can tailor a unit to the students I’m teaching that year, or the more options I have if a lesson flops or I need a good lesson for a substitute. But sometimes it gets overwhelming, and sometimes I feel paralyzed by all the decisions I have to make and all that I won’t get to do.
It’s a good problem to have, as far as lesson-planning goes. But hopefully the more experienced I become, the easier these decisions get.
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