Planning is always on my mind

This year, more than any year in the past, I'm focused on my planning. I want my courses to flow from one topic to the next. I want things to connect with other things. I want it all to make sense to me and my students. Prior to this year that wasn't always my focus. I have had years where I would literally stop teaching something and just jump to another topic. For no real reason, other than I was bored or couldn't figure out where to go with the topic at hand. So I would just stop and move on. Chemistry is weird in that there is no list of things that you have to cover or know. Yes, there are standards, but those are really broad and can cover a multitude of sins. So this year I'm really focused on lesson planning.

I am also focusing on setting things up so I don't have to do this every single year. 10 years in, I really should have this down to a science (ha!! pun intended) but I don't. Every single year I have to recreate the wheel because I don't remember what I did the year before. Or I didn't keep things I did the year before. So freaking annoying. So I purchased a bunch of 1/2" binders and I'm putting units in there. I have units 1 & 3 all complete for chemistry. I have unit 3 complete for AP Biology. I have units 3 & 4 complete for AP Chemistry. The goal is to complete the units as I go that way I have them all set for next year. I think, after many, many false starts, that I finally have a system that works for me. I bought these:

and a whole bunch of sheet protectors from Amazon. I'm printing out all the resources and putting them in sheet protectors in here. Then I'm creating a unit plan on what to do each day and putting that on the outside. This way I have a plan for each unit and the resources that go with that unit. Some units I have extras because there are tons of resources for that topic so I can switch it up year after year. Other topics there just aren't as many choices and so I have what I have. Also, when I get a brilliant idea - which I do occasionally - and alter a lesson, I will have a copy in here and won't have to think, what did I do last year????  That is so annoying. 

I am also slowly putting lesson plans on planboard so that I have them electronically also. For some weird reason, this is harder for me. When I'm standing in front of a class, the last thing I will do is look at a computer screen. Also, with Internet issues and wifi that isn't great, I don't want to rely on something that may not work at the moment I need it. But, by the same token, I want these resources to be available electronically so that I can look at them if I'm not at school where the binders are kept. I know it seems a little redundant and I'm making extra work for myself, but it will only be for this year. After this year, this will be all set up and all I will need to do is tweak it year to year. So that where I've been the last couple of weeks, working on getting this all situated. 

Volleyball ends on Thursday. We have our last home game and that is it. All done. It was interesting coaching volleyball. I did not know what I was doing, but that was okay. I learned a lot. I also agreed to do it again next year. Which is a large part of why I want this planning stuff all done this year. I enjoyed coaching volleyball and want to be able to do it without the stress of planning on top of it. With these all set, I can focus on the games and not worry about my classes. Totally worth it. 

On that note, I will end this. I have to get ready to take my dog to agility, so that means a shower and I'm in desperate need of more coffee. So I'm off.