Preparation is necessary if a person hopes to bypass failure. Even though it is a necessity, many people, including myself, often try to accomplish great things without that preparation. “Winging it” is possible for a few, but it is extremely difficult to always “wing it” and have validity.
Because I teach grades 1-5 every day, I can see where differences in maturity levels among students can play a role in whether it is okay to “wing it” or not. I guarantee that only a fool would try to wing it with first graders! Their lack of political correctness allows them to sharply call a person out who has not made adequate preparation for a class or project. This is especially true during art lessons. The results of a lack of preparation in that class include paint on the carpet, paint on each other, a myriad of cuts with scissors, glue on everything, and cries of “what do I do next, teacher?” It is not a pretty sight!
Preparation is also the focus of the concepts I try to teach my students. I put it simply: “I am trying to help you be smarter than the average bear!” Each concept learned is a step toward a higher level of thinking and performing. Those steps altogether lead to independence and their career of the future. The time necessary to accomplish those levels of preparation is the variable. Some people are driven and self-motivated, while others have to be prodded and pushed. This is the difference between some of the secondary students in our school who study math with Dr. Mortensen. He takes his students as far as they wish to go…as long as they do the preparation and practice necessary to advance to the next level. Thus, he has twenty to thirty different lesson plans. He is individualizing his classes just like he individualized his patients as a medical doctor. I admire him for that! His students have been very successful. None of this was possible without his preparation. Even though he doesn’t get paid for summer work, he spends the summer preparing for those students!
My preparations have taken on a few changes over the fifty plus years of my career. Much of the basics I teach have been ingrained into my thinking so that I almost instinctively know how to proceed. However, I have to make new preparations to deal with the changes that have come with today’s children. Lack of attention, visual problems due to much viewing of 2-D video games and TV, hyperactivity which may be due to chemicals in their diets, and a myriad of emotional needs evolving from separation anxieties are just a few of the ordeals which now affect my preparations.
I have a new preparation of which I am aware, brought about by my age. No matter how strong my faith is, no matter how wonderful my life is, I find myself asking if I have made adequate preparation for my eventual death…which seems to be getting closer and closer. Many of my friends have recently passed away…driving home the truth of my age…not just associating my age with how I look or feel anymore.
That step into the hereafter requires preparation. I have settled the matter of my eternal soul with God, but have I made preparation for my students, school, and family members for when that event actually comes? It makes me stop and consider just how important preparation is. So, as I enjoy each day to its fullest, I will set aside a little time to think about these most important preparations.
Kay