One of the things that happens when one reads, grows, learns, challenges, and reflects on practice is old notions fall away. I saw a tweet recently that went something like, “I would be horrified if I was still teaching the same way I did when I started.” That would be true for me. That would have meant that over 34 years so far….I’ve learned nothing about the art and science of teaching. Early in the career, so many professional conversations did not happen. So many opportunities to read and discuss did not happen.
When one knows better, one must do better.
Recently I shared a draft graphic with two principals and a veteran teacher. I was exploring some of the practices in the classroom that separated professional educator practice from basic educator practice. The 3 other educators were not shy in giving opinions and input. Thank you to Mark Beddes, Mark Robinson, and Kirk Dodge.
One of the first changes was examining the differences in practice, not educators. We had a very healthy conversation about desks being in rows. A strong opinion held that desks in rows weren’t automatically a bad thing. So that language was sculpted into a more flexible representation.
Here’s the chart: 
These practices are a few off the top of the head. Obviously there are a lot more. One thing I can say for sure is, that if I had known then, what I know now….I would have been a much stronger teacher for more kids.
When one knows better…..
The Lighting of a Fire 