10 years ago, I believed…

I was recently reflecting on how much my understanding of best practices has changed since I was a new teacher. I used to believe that:

• Teaching in small groups is a waste of time because you end up repeating yourself for every group.
• Kids can’t be trusted on computers because they’ll mess up all the settings and get a ton of viruses.
• Centers are the best use of kids’ independent work time.
• Misbehavior should be addressed with respectful dialogue and problem-solving techniques.
• Parents who don’t show up for conferences don’t care about their kids’ education.
• Arranging kids’ desks in groups means they’ll be focused on each other and won’t learn anything.

Now, I think that:

• Teaching in small groups makes it easier to keep kids focused and helps you differentiate instruction.
• It’s worth the time it takes to train kids to use computers independently–and it doesn’t take that long.
• Reading [engaging, ‘just right’, self-selected] books is the best use of kids’ independent work time.
• Sometimes you just need to give the teacher look and keep it moving.
• Parents who don’t show up for conferences still want to be good parents and still love their kids.
• Arranging kids’ desks in groups means they’ll be focused on each other and learn a lot if they’re taught how to work collaboratively.

I wonder how these perceptions will change over the next 10 years…

How has YOUR thinking about education changed since you started teaching?