The Need for Routine

As this year has started, I have been reminded about the importance of routine.  This year, I started traveling between the High School and Middle School.  We are now offering Spanish 1 to 8th graders and all 8th graders not in choir will be exposed to a class Intro to Spanish.

One of the biggest issues for me is getting into a routine.  The first day of school proved this point BIG time.  Both the Middle School and High School ran on a two hour delay schedule.  My first ten minutes of Middle School life was a complete disaster.  I had three minutes to set up my computer to the projector of the room I am teaching and as you can guess, Houston we had a problem.  The projector didn't work.  Man, did I wish I would have taken five minutes the day before to make sure everything was ready.  It would have saved me time and my first impression could have been what I wanted it to be.  The next day I was able to get set up and my opening and transitions were much smoother.

This lesson in routine reminded me that my students need a routine as well.  If I need to have a routine in order to perform at the best of my ability, my kiddos do too.  As a high school teacher, the thought of routine always seems to be something that elementary teachers focused, but that couldn't be farther from the truth.  When a student knows what is coming at them, they can perform so much better.

I pride myself in always reviewing the types of test questions the day before.  The material changes, but the style of questions remain the same.  It is setting students up for failure if a teacher gives a test over material or asks a style a question that students do not expect.  My point is that students need routine just as much as the proper review.

What does a routine teach kids?  That things happen in a certain order and this eliminates anxiety over what is going to happen.  Whether kids admit it or not, having a routine makes their life and classes simpler.  The fear of what is going to happen vanishes and students can settle in, relax and focus on what they need to focus on, learning.

Our jobs as teachers is to set students up for success.  Why wouldn't anyone want to establish a routine?