It's a process not a schedule

Sir Ken Robinson in his book The Element proposes that teachers are farmers, not engineers. Thank you, Sir Ken. I am a lover of seeds and dirt and a rusty trowel in the form of my Norton anthology just as much as the next creaky English teacher. But I was reminded that my farmer status is not always helpful this second full week of classes as I wrestled with our new schedule. I am pretty sure it is going to turn out to be the best thing that has happened to our school, but right now, my brain is screaming "it's a process, not a schedule."  I long for a simple, uninterrupted set of days for me to set up classroom routines and get to know my young friends better. I am never going to get this. Instead, we seem to be rushing through assemblies, iPad workshops, prayer services, club showcases and time-period-hopping duties. If  you are a teacher reading this, you are probably laughing "It is September. Chill out Healigan, October is coming." If you are a student, you are wondering why I am making such a big deal. It is always like this at the beginning of the year.

Farmers live by the sun and the weather. I yearn to plow the dirt with Beowulf, plant seeds by hand with our close reading together, water those seeds with my suggestions for each new blog post and watch the seeds sprout into miraculous young people who will own their futures.  Engineers use nature to create a better version of the process. I think I need an engineering class. Time to visit twitter?