Measure Twice, Cut Once

Today is the first day of second semester (Spring Semester)  and I begin teaching four new classes.  I teach at the university level.  My new students will not be as excited as kindergartners going back to school after winter break.  However, my students will still be excited, because starting a new adventure is always a little bit exciting.  One more thought, we begin "Spring Semester" and the wind chill is now below zero.  The labeling of this semester just seems a little weird.

"Measure twice, cut once", my Dad taught me that rule of LIFE when he taught basic carpentry to me.  Back in the 60s, yes the 1960s, we renovated an old abandoned country farm house. We upgraded the "structure" from a corn storage building to a farm house for a family of six. 

Take a look at our converted home.  And, my Dad always measured twice before he cut once. And, I have found the rule applies to teachers, too.

In teaching the "measuring" is the creation or upgrade of each lesson plan.   The plan should be the absolute best it can be; the plan should create student learning: create knowledge, develop understanding, and improve skills.  Yes, my classes start today - but. for three weeks, I have been measuring my lesson plans twice.

At the university, each syllabus contains 15 lesson plans.  The lesson plan covers a time period of three hours. Fifteen lesson plans times 180 minutes is 2,700 minutes of learning time.  I have reviewed, assessed, and hopefully improved every one of those 2,700 minutes.  

In K-12 schools, the organization of time is different, but the quantity of learning time is nearly the same.  

As I measured my lesson plans twice, I worked hard to make each learning activity valuable for my students.  How many minutes did I spend measuring/planning? Too many to count.  I wanted to make every learning activity better than it was last semester. 

Every effective teacher does the same.  We all work long and hard at lesson planning because we care about our students.  We want each of our students to succeed and so do the other teachers at this university and the dedicated teachers in your child's school.

Today and for the next three days, I will make the first "cuts"; I will teach; I will make the first invitations to learn.  I hope my new students are ready for the learning journey and I already believe they are.  

"Measure twice, cut once", I love my Dad and I love teaching.  Teachers Rock!

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Teacher reflection journal: My goal: I will post one or two reflections on my teaching, on student learning, or on the current conditions of education every week.  On a good week, maybe I can post three reflections.  I hope you will follow my blog. Click follow this site on the homepage.  I will do my best to make the weekly reflections informative and entertaining.  

Dr. Robert, Educational Pirate