What do you mean by “it works for me”?

Hey, it keeps the kids busy and quiet, so it works for me!
I don’t care what the “research” says, it works in my classroom.
So what if that’s a better way, this is working for me!
Yeah, using technology would probably improve it, but what I’m doing is working, so I’ll pass.
How can anyone tell me not to do things that way when it works for me?

We use those kind of phrases a lot to defend educational practices. And to some extent, I agree with them. No one knows your students better than you, their teacher. You’re the one who is in the trenches each day, constantly trying out new things and experimenting with ways to meet each student’s needs.

But I think it’s helpful to ask ourselves what we actually mean by the phrase “it works for me.” Do we mean that what we’re doing makes kids compliant and quiet, or builds intrinsic motivation and gets them engaged? Does it just make the teacher’s job easier, or does it improve student learning?

Is what you’re doing really working for all kids, or just for most of them?

Is what you’re doing centered mostly on what meets your needs or theirs?

There’s nothing wrong with choosing instructional practices that keep an orderly classroom and simplify your teaching. But those are only a few of the many factors to consider when reflecting on what works and what doesn’t.

I encourage you to really think about those knee-jerk reactions when you say, “It works for me, so I’m not changing.” Think about your behavior management system, for example. Does it REALLY produce the results you want–independent thinking, self-motivated, self-reliant, responsible students? If you’re complaining all the way until the end of June about how lazy kids are and how you just can’t get them to behave, then the answer is NO, your system actually doesn’t work for you, because it doesn’t really work for your kids.

There is no one right way to teach that will result in success for all students. No tried and true formula for success, right? So we have to stay open-minded and continually look for new ideas. What worked for last year’s class might not work for this year’s class, and shoe-horning a new group of kids into the same old teaching practices just because they’re familiar to you is only going to result in frustration for everyone involved.

As you plan for the coming school year, I encourage you to keep asking yourself: Does this work? How do I know it’s working? Is there something else I could try that might work better?

Be the lifelong learner you want your students to be. Keep reflecting, keep growing, keep trying new things. It can be discouraging when other people question your teaching methods, but it’s EMPOWERING to question yourself.