Module 1 Manifesto

 Invaluable Lessons Learned  in Module 1

• 1. Change is hard.
• 2. Attitude is everything.
• 3. If the kids seem glassy-eyed & bored, so is my approach.
• 4. My students’ attitude toward any given Wit ‘n Wisdom lesson is a direct & transparent reflection of my own. *fix it.
• 5. Not-being fully prepared is not advisable. 
• 6. Those “repeated readings” that I worried so much about are  more like drive-thrus with a different menu.
• 7. Planning for Wit ‘n Wisdom lessons more like a menu than a recipe. Remembering this. one. thing. was a game-changer for me.
• 8. Children will rise to the occasion-- eventually. But they won’t all reach the top at the same time. Trust the process.
• 9. Every one of my students doesn’t have to “get it” right now. Keep supporting, keep cheering them on, keep trusting that they can, and they WiLL! :)
• 10. If today’s approach doesn’t yield some sort of tangible evidence for all students, forgive yourself and keep going.
• 11. Skipping or skimming things for the sake of pacing does not qualify me as a bad teacher. 
• 12. Deep-Dives are not advisable in shallow waters. ;)
• 13. When I think of Deep-Dives more as a side-dish, rather than another full course , it makes much more sense. *this means that when I find creative ways to weave my deep dive lesson into my main lesson, it sticks. ‘Cause that’s where it makes the most sense to kids. I’ve discovered that not teaching the deep-dive skill in isolation brings much more enthusiasm on the students’ part…. and MiNE! 
• 14. Notices and Wonders can take a long, long time because everyone wants to share theirs.
• 15. So can Socratic Seminars. 
• 16. Let them.
• 17. Attitude is everything! If mine sucks… so will theirs. 
• 18. This is hard, and admitting that I’m doing everything I possibly can to keep my head above water and teach it well, is not only necessary, but it’s okay to do. It’s okay to be honest with kids, and co-teachers, and administrators. 
• 19. Wit & Wisdom has brought many of my personal passions back to life. Art, drawing, story-telling, writing, photography.
• 20. Falling asleep at midnight with my Wit ‘n Wisdom teacher’s manual on my lap has become more of a habit than a routine. 
• 21. #19 is not advisable for multiple days in a row. Getting a good night’s sleep is a necessary component of teaching Wit & Wisdom.
• 22. It’s so helpful to have a supportive teaching team to bounce ideas off of, to be able to humbly admit that you really muddled through parts of today’s lesson, and that you’ll get back up and try again tomorrow. 
• 23. The Little Engine that Could would be a great metaphor for teachers & learners of Wit & Wisdom.
• 24. Amazon Prime video has many of the Scholastic digital versions of the student texts! Use them!
• 25. When an admin walks in- don’t panic. What they’re really there to see is students that are engaged, excited about what they’re learning, and eager to share their knowledge. Let them shine! 
• 26. Cultivate a Can-Do classroom. Students who believe they can~WiLL! This goes for me as well. 
• 27. Trust in the power of not-yet. Students may often appear glassy-eyed & ready to rock themselves to sleep. 
• 28. Get. them. Up. ~ Let. them. Move. Be creative with brain-breaks:
• Jump in place 22 times & sit back down.
• Sit & Spin in one place for 1 minute. 
• Crawl around the classroom like a baby for one minute.
• Challenge them to curl up & take a 2 minute nap right there on their sit spot.
• 29. Remember why I became a teacher in the first place, &  like that! Every single day. :)  
• 30. Light’n up & have fun with it. Life’s too darn short to walk around grumping about something that you can’t change. Remind myself that no “curriculum” can ever change who i am as a teacher.