How Teachers Can Forge Instructional Autonomy

When my district first adopted a math program I had mixed feelings. On the one hand, I was relieved. Look a this—all of my math lessons are planned for the entire year! Just imagine the time I’ll save. I won’t have to create lessons, design practice problems or make up homework assignments. On the other hand, I was worried. I was good at teaching math and was especially proud of how I differentiated math units and lessons for diverse learners. My students liked math, and I liked teaching it. Could a math program really design learning for my students better than I could?

Unfortunately, my worry was justified. After just a few months, I had lost some of my joy for teaching math, and some of my students were starting to groan when math rolled around. I spent less time planning, but that also meant I spent less time thinking ahead about how to teach math well. I followed the program and lost my voice. I eventually wrestled my control back, but it took me longer than I’d like to admit.

One of the most devastating impacts of the standards movement has been the loss of teacher autonomy. It’s not surprising that we’ve seen a loss of teacher motivation and engagement as our power and control to plan and deliver content in unique and interesting ways has eroded. (Did you know that you can’t be self-motivated without autonomy?) Many teachers are told to teach programs (math, literacy, and others) with fidelity. Many more are told, like I was, to use the program as a guide but to modify as needed, but not too much.

Now, as I work with schools across the United States, I see teachers struggling with this dilemma. They’re saddled with programs that often don’t work for many of their learners, but they’re not sure how (or even if they’re allowed) to make them better. And, just like me, when they start to reclaim some of their instructional autonomy, they regain some of their joy and passion.

This is a topic I discuss in this podcast episode, How Teachers Can Forge Instructional Autonomy. This discussion draws heavily on my latest book which is all about how teachers can get their passion for teaching back: Rekindle Your Professional Fire: Powerful Habits for Becoming a More Well-Balanced Teacher.

Enjoy!