Tip#5: Planning Is Important, But So Is Seizing Moments Unplanned

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."- John Lennon

My friends Renee and Steve are in New York right now. It's one of my favourite cities; I've been there a few times. So naturally, when Renee asked me to share some information about Manhattan, I jumped at the chance.

I compiled a bunch of information into one long email and was proud of having put together such an organized list for my friends.

The following day, when I called to say I wanted to add a few other items to the list, Renee said something along the lines of, "Thanks. We'll try to get to some of these, but I also don't want to be overwhelmed by planning everything, and missing out on other things."

I am so glad Renee said what she did. I tell you, everyday a learn something from that girl:) Her words made me stop and remember that part of what made New York so magical and so exciting for me was falling into places and events I didn't even expect or didn't even plan for. Yes, my suggestions might have given them a good start, or some grounding- ideas for places to hit along the way. But just as I met people and stumbled into venues that opened my eyes to a new interest, a new perspective, a new activity in New York, I hope that Renee and Steve stay open to all the opportunities that may come their way, in order to make the trip their own. I think another friend explained it best the first time he visited New York when he said, "I'm going to let the city take me where it will"

As teachers, we can become so obsessed with planning and organizing that we can often forget about the importances of seizing opportunities that come about each day-opportunities unplanned. These unexpected moments may at first seem difficult to manage and even frightening at times. What if a student says something that you're not sure how to address? Or what if a conversation takes a turn you didn't anticipate, or what if the space you were planning to use is suddenly unavailable?

My suggestion is to take these unexpected happenings and turn them into opportunities. Teachers are faced with students of varying personalities, interests and backgrounds. And life is always changing around us.

But looking back, that unpredictability was part of what made teaching so exciting and challenging for me. I looked forward to hearing and seeing what my students would do next, what would happen in the classroom next. Because of this, teaching was never boring. And being open to "letting the plan go" is not the same as being careless and disorganized. Seizing opportunities unplanned does not mean being without goals. In fact, it takes creativity and a skilled teacher to take advantage of the unpredictable circumstances that come his or her way.

I remember a foggy day up in West Vancouver. I was trying to teach a poetry class, but the windows of the classroom seemed to mesmerize my students. They couldn't stop staring at the mist that had gathered outside, and that had seemed to hide the city below. None of the students were listening to my lesson, and all my advanced planning seemed to be going to waste. But then I thought about the objectives I had for that day. I could still teach poetry and get those objectives met, but perhaps I could go about it in a different way, I thought. So I got the whole class to move their chairs close to the windows. We stared outside together for quite some time, and then began discussing what the scene reminded them of, what it made them feel. And soon enough, I began transcribing their ideas onto chart paper. We used metaphors, personification, alliteration... And we ended up with a beautiful poem, written by the class as a whole, and inspired by the scene outside. I still have it and it is one of my best memories of teaching, and one of my best lessons, because I was not scared to step away from the original plan and to see where the new situation would take us.

On another occasion, our classroom was occupied and for a moment, I panicked thinking where was I going to teach my math lesson and how would I do it without the tools I had organized beforehand? As I looked around, I noticed it was a nice day outside, and one of my students had a basketball with him. So I gathered my students in the basketball court outside. We used the hoop to practise making shots, and the students described the fraction of shots taken, scored and missed, and predicted the ratios of future shots. Not only did we cover the math objectives for that lesson, but we all got some fresh air and played a little bball.

My tango instructor Nina also makes use of the situations around her. She often asks us why we are interested in learning the dance. And once I mentioned how it reminded me of poetry- it's expressive and emotional and fluid. After that description, she related various movements in our tango lesson to the idea of phrases and words and sentences in a piece of writing or a poem. This helped to keep my attention, and I was better able to relate the instructions with what I was already familiar, and I felt like my instructor had a genuine interest in me and my learning.

Our tango lessons are held in a fitness gym. And so when this same instructor needed a way to demonstrate how to create a rounded space, a clear connection and frame, she grabbed the exercise balls that were nearby. Each student placed a ball between their upper body and their partners, and we were able to clearly understand how to maintain that frame.

Finding opportunities to use what is around you can even come from something as small as observing what your students are wearing or what your students have brought with them. I used to use these as inspiration for creative writing stories and exercises in the classroom. For example, the red sweater of one student might be used in a descriptive paragraph, and I might have asked my students to write a mystery story based on the necklace of another student.

This ability to seize unexpected, unplanned opportunities, or to make use of what is happening in the moment, what is at your disposal then and there, is very important, especially in teaching.

Don't get me wrong. Plans are fundamental. They set a strong foundation and are necessary to remind us of our goals and keep us focused and directed. But if we are only concerned with sticking to a plan, a list of things we need to say and do, without being open and flexible to allowing the new and unexpected to enter our teaching, we can become closed off to all the wonderful things happening around us. And this can cause us to lose out on opportunities to further involve the students and their real lives in our lessons. If we are more aware of this, we can help further students' understanding and interest, and make the learning much more memorable for them and for ourselves.