Chaos…in my classroom. I am ok with it. Controlled chaos, of course. Desks in rows make me cringe. Silence stifles me. Conversation and debate invigorate me. I am good with students not doing the same thing at the same time. I am fine with them guiding me.

I am not saying throw out the organization. You can be organized and still allow a bit of chaos in your classroom. Students need to feel that they are in control of their learning.

I see lots of posts and articles about teachers giving up control.

In a student-centered classroom teachers aren’t necessarily giving up control. They are sharing control with their students. I am firm believer in students going home more tired than the teacher.

I appreciate those classrooms where the teacher is called the Lead Learner. The word teacher implies that we have nothing to learn in the classroom and that couldn’t be further from the truth. Every student in our room is a teacher. They bring gifts and talents that bring learner to the classroom community.