A tale of two lessons

It was the best of lessons, it was the worst of lessons.

This weekend, I have willingly subjected myself to teaching a Diploma preparation course for Physics 30. Don’t judge me too harshly. My stationary bike is about to go on the fritz, and I will need to replace it with a brand new, shiny torture machine. Money doesn’t grow on trees, but it does feed on student fears of not doing well on their provincial exams. So, I will ease their fears while they fill my wallet – a fair trade.

Recently I devised a brand new way to do these review sessions, a method that would have the students far more active in class. But with a new method comes great risk – namely, timing. How long would my new technique take? Would I have enough time to finish the entire curriculum in the sub-16 hour period?

The first evening shouted an emphatic yes. The new method was working like a charm. The students were working away like busy bees, and they were taking about as long as I anticipated. I was smooth and relaxed in my delivery, and when it was all said and done, the kids seemed very pleased with what they experienced. I felt on top of the world. I felt in total control.

Ahh, how the mighty fall!

The second day was a completely different story. It started out quite well, but when I got the halfway point of my session, I discovered to my horror that I was 30 minutes behind schedule! How could this be? How could I have been this far off? I had a minor panic attack on the spot, convinced that I would never be able to finish the content and that the students would never be properly prepared for their exam. Where was that paper bag to breathe into? Where was a year’s supply of Xanax?

Fortunately, I had a great assistant helping me out. Her true job was to wander around the room and help students who were struggling with the problems. But little did she know that she would have to fulfil the role of psychoanalyst and cheerleader. She wasn’t getting paid enough. But with her support, and the good thoughts of friends and family, I was able to bounce back in true elastic fashion and I managed to finish the day pretty close to the schedule I had given myself. It wasn’t easy, though. I was constantly planning how I could cut corners and save time for the entire session, and this left me absolutely exhausted at the end. Quite a difference from my first day’s triumph.

Now that I can sit in my Ikea chair and reflect on the two days, I can be proud of myself. Yes, I did fall apart a bit when things went rough, but I did not give up. I persevered for the sake of the students and I did all I could to make sure that the kids got the best learning experience possible, while also ensuring that I would be able to finish my lesson on time. It was a masterful execution of thinking on my feet, so good job me. 🙂

I am doing the third and last day of this review today and I am feeling cautiously optimistic. This morning I went back to my lesson and modified it as much as I could, without sacrificing the content, so that I would not go through a repeat of yesterday’s challenges. And really, this has been my life as a teacher: I attempt something new, I then reflect on its successes and failures, and I then modify accordingly in this pursuit of the ideal lesson. And really, this is a microcosm of life itself, isn’t it? We are always striving to improve and to maximize our experiences. We may never get to perfection, but there is joy in the journey. That is a tale worth living.