The Pain of New Things

Today I had a conference with a concerned set of parents. Their child has been struggling in my math class.

The thing you have to keep in mind is that I've flipped my math class. All my instruction is done via pre-recorded video. This is only the second full year I've been doing this, with some dabbling in the previous years.

This young student has been falling further and further behind, Mom and Dad were quite concerned. My method of teaching was not working for this student. And here I am jumping off a cliff into the unknown with their child in tow.

I can't express my appreciation for these parents. We had an excellent discussion about their child and about what their child needs. They shared with me their concerns and we began to brainstorm solutions. I hope that they left our conference understanding that I am committed to finding the best educational opportunities for their child and every other child in the class. When I'm made aware of a problem I will act. I can't promise that what I do will work every time, but I can promise that they will see my best efforts.

When we try new things it isn't all going to be a bed of roses. There will be bumps and pain along the way. I appreciate the feedback these parents gave me as it will only lead to my classroom becoming more effective.

We can't let our fear of the pain of new things get in the way of trying.