Planning

As I am going into my third year of teaching, I am rethinking how I do my lessons.  My first year, my lesson plans changed almost daily.  I came in and figured out what I was doing.  Needless to say, it was a very stressful year.  Last year, my second year, I planned for the whole week.  I typically started the Thursday before and finished on Sunday.  I reviewed my plans as the week went on to see if there needed to be changes.  (Still stressful but less than my first year.)

Now, I am using this summer to get as many lessons done as I can.  I have already gotten through my first unit (Scientific Inquiry, which I pretty much teach the scientific method), and I am not sure where to go from there.  My first two years, after the first standard/unit, I went on to Cells.  However, I am still on my Chemistry high from the T. I. P. S. Inquiry Institute and really want to start Chemistry after the first unit.

I will probably be taking a leave of absence at the end of February/beginning of March.  If I do Chemistry last, my students will be learning it with a substitute.  That makes me extremely nervous because Chemistry is the hardest unit for the students to learn.  If I do Chemistry as the second unit, then my students are left with Ecology with a sub.  Ecology is pretty easy, and I would not be so concerned.  And let's face it, I went to a two week professional development on teaching Chemistry, and I will be so disappointed to not even get to teach it!

After my first doctor's appointment, I will be meeting with the other science teacher in seventh grade and seeing if I can convince her to move Chemistry to the beginning.  As I await that meeting, I am starting to make my Chemistry unit in preparation.

I am hoping that my preemptive strike on planning will put a lot less stress on me this year.  I am hesitant to do too much because I know that plans can always change.