Many moons ago, when I was getting my credential, I studied and applied educational theories to every lesson. I was methodical in applying these strategies along-side state and local standards and my own goals for the class. I had a complex matrix to make sure I accomplished all of this. Though it became easier the longer I taught, it was still very time intensive and complicated. When I came to Kehillah, I struggled to adjust to the abbreviated class time (due to the schedule) and limitations on being able to give homework (due to the culture).  My matrix was impossible in the shorter amount of time! I started experimenting with the flipped classroom model to cram in more instruction without having to use precious student time to demonstrate. This improved the situation some. Though many of my students ignored the resources (videos, examples, step-by-step instructions, etc.) I found that they were a huge help to the few students who did use them. Also, giving students the ability to help themselves also freed me from always trying to find the mythical happy medium for the entire group and to dive in with each student, meeting them each where they were. In the higher-level classes, this allowed me to gear assignments to developing their conceptual skills and artistic voice, rather than always being in the weeds with medium and technique. 

Somewhere in all of this trial-and-error, I looked up and realized my approach to curriculum planning had changed. Instead of filling out my complicated matrix, I was paying more attention to each student’s growth needs. Instead of obsessing over standards, I was considering what it really means to grow an artist. But in the meantime, my classroom had become this ever-evolving creative space that, depending on the day/class/student had elements of UDL, PBL, student-led learning, and differentiation. It was a natural consequence of trying new methods that worked better within my constraints. It turns out that by loosening my hold on the education “musts” I had been given, I embraced them more completely. 

Now, that’s not the end of the story. I have found this approach to be extremely effective for most of my students, but not all. Every year I must adjust to the particular students I have. Depending on the class, I have increased my scaffolding on Schoology (our school’s communication platform) to include benchmarks and mini-deadlines when necessary or, conversely, given the freedom of time for students to be able to pace themselves in their own way before a big deadline. Both work, depending on my students. I have sometimes found that many more resources are needed and sometimes my resources are just overwhelming. It’s a constant dance. Reflecting now, I know that the work I was doing before, using all the theories and protocols and matrices, and the work I’m doing now, trying to find the right combination of direct instruction and outside resources, always had the same goal: to create the best learning environment for my kids. But looking at the person, the artist, instead of at a matrix, has brought me a completely new understanding of what good teaching is.