But Why Are the Desks Always Different?

I will be the first to admit it. I am like a toddler; I have a desperate need for structure. Because of this personality quirk of mine, in the past things were more structured in my classroom. Desks were in rows, except on group work days when they are in groups of four. Notes written using the document camera and then projected to a screen in the front of the room. Students taking notes or working on a review, or having what I call a "struggle day." (Struggle days are days where when a student needs help, they have to ask each other, use their notes or the text before asking me to step in. Being able to handle a productive struggle is a valuable tool in math and in life.)

Side note: Please don't think when I talk about structure that I mean inflexibility. In a high school, if you are not flexible, you are not happy. At least not for long. 

Over the course of this year, I have become more and more unstructured. Don't get me wrong, I have a planned lesson. Notes are prepared.  I know what standards will be covered and what targets I want to see the students reach. But the rest, well... that has become more fluid. The connective tissue that holds the class together has become this amazing thing that bends and gives based on the needs of the class. 

Again- I now that others may be reading this and saying, "But, Morgan, shifts are made all the time in the classroom to adjust for what happens that day." Those people are right. I used to make those same, calculated shifts. And it was not that I planned for each contingency, but at this point, I know what has to give to get to where I want to go. 

But now things are a little different.  

It is not uncommon for notes to end abruptly and everyone be paired off to do some grunt work. Or maybe I realize that I am not articulating a topic well, but a student is giving amazing help to his or her group- I will ask him or her to step in and lead the class for a minute. Or maybe things have been very fluid for most of the class and I rope everyone back in for a pop quiz. (Fluidity goes both ways!) 

What I have come to realize is that as long as I have my destination, the compass to get me there, and I am open to where the road (or side road) takes me, my classroom and my kids are going to be just fine. We will learn the math, and hopefully a few other valuable lessons along the way.