I was having an interesting conversation with a principal recently, and she had wondered how some teachers would deal with “change” that liked to control every aspect of their classroom. What she had shared that this was an educator that was open about the need for control in the classroom.
My response was to ask the educator if they would think they would thrive under a principal that was a micromanager. The principal almost laughed because she knew what the answer would be (as did I), but then she realized my point. If an adult wouldn’t thrive in that environment, why would a student?
This is not to say that kids do not need more guidance, but if we try to control every aspect of what they do in their learning, will they a) thrive during their time in their classroom, and more importantly, b) would they learn to thrive after their time in the classroom?
Individualizing education and starting with empathy for those we serve is where innovative teaching and learning begins. Let’s continue to look at empowering our students, while finding and unleashing the talent of each child we serve.
