Keep Teaching Weird

In Austin, Texas they have bumper stickers everywhere that say "Keep Austin Weird". I feel the same way about teaching.

We had a planning session with district personnel the other day and their idea of planning was just to find a bunch of activities on Teachers Pay Teachers. I am actually not a fan (and believe me, I know that is an unpopular view). I feel like teachers need to be more creative in what they plan for their students. How many teachers this week are doing Pilgrim hats (which are teacher-made) or hand traced turkeys? Think outside the box, do something different.

I am not saying that I am an expert by any means but here is what we are going to do.

We are doing a Native American unit where the students will try their hands at storytelling to show how legends were passed down. We will look at the cave paintings Native Americans made and recreate those by drawing on paper taped underneath the tables (to create caves). We are writing Thanksgiving poems and we are making placemats that will be delivered with Meals on Wheels during the holidays. We are also reading non-fiction stories about turkeys and comparing them to other birds (turkeys are survivors in the winter-they do not migrate).

Stretch the perspectives of your students. Do activities with them and read stories with them that they haven't already heard from other teachers. Don't just rely on Pinterest and TPT for ideas-take a risk and try something new. Stay weird!