Hold on tight

I almost fell before I could steady myself, as the bus driver sped off to the next terminal at the airport. The bus was crowded so I had to stand, gripping the pole tightly. While the ride was brief, it felt like a long, chaotic struggle. As I walked away, I couldn’t help but think about education and the teaching profession. The education landscape has become a fast-moving vehicle, and unless we hold on tight, we risk falling.

The teaching profession has evolved, shaped by lessons from the Ancient, Medieval, and Modern eras. Each period has added insights into how we can be more effective educators. With rapid changes in technology, culture, and constant innovation, it often feels like we are in a speeding bus, moving forward whether we are ready or not. Amid this whirlwind, it’s easy to lose sight of the fundamentals. Yet the basics are what keep us steady no matter how much things speed forward.

In my experience, what steadies us as teachers comes down to three simple but powerful shifts: planning with intention, student engagement, and assessment to guide. These simple shifts transform how we teach and how our students learn.

1. Shift… from Paperwork to Planning with Intention
When we realize that a plan isn’t just required paperwork to tick a box, we make a shift toward purpose and intention. Whether for the term, week, or day: good planning helps us anticipate bumps in the road and prepare ways around them. When we plan with intention, we craft learning experiences that are impactful for the sake of the students, not the plan. This shift makes teaching purposeful rather than reactive.

2. Shift… from Teaching to Student Engagement
There is a stark difference between teaching and teaching with student engagement. Student engagement is knowing our students, their intelligences, strengths, and needs, and designing lessons that meet them where they are, beyond reaching the objective of the lesson. It requires differentiating instruction and creating pathways for every learner to succeed. When students are engaged, they don’t just get taught knowledge; they connect with it, own it, and grow from it.

3. Shift… from Judgment to Guidance with Assessment
Assessment is a means to measure student aptitude and achievement, but its real power is guidance for teachers. Effective assessment is not a judgement or mark against a student; it provides teachers with information that guides teachers to more effective planning and instruction. When we make assessment less about student scores and more about student learning, teachers evaluate and adjust their lessons for the benefit of students., which ultimately improves scores.

These three shifts work in a cycle; effective educators: plan with intention, engage with students, assess to guide, then repeat. Mastering this rhythm allows teachers not only to keep up with the pace of change in education but to thrive within it. The bus is moving fast, but with these three simple shifts, every teacher can hold tight and even lead the way forward.