Is ROUTINE a positive or a negative?
I love my MORNING ROUTINE
- 5:30 alarm goes off–
- I “rest” a bit more, then shuffle down to make my coffee.
- That Keurig I was sure I didn’t need is probably the item I use most in my kitchen. (Thanks, Doug!)
- Cup of coffee under the covers while I “think/pray” then off to wake up the kids, take a shower, and rush off to work.
That’s what I do. Monday through Friday.
Day after day after day.
Classroom routines are a must. You know, the “ways” that you do things so students know that you are organized and what to expect.
- I have a “greeting”
- I have the “sonrisa de hoy” (a daily meme)
- I have the “daily conversation questions” (most days)
- I have a way I stamp homework, and a system of points for completion and partial credit.
- Homework always “counts.”
- I have an agenda I keep on the Canvas Calendar.
The list goes on…
But in the classroom, I don’t want to get so “routine” that my students dread coming to class.
So I work hard to be creative, trying to keep it fresh–doing different things, in different ways, appealing to different learning styles. I incorporate technology and student choice. I connect content with culture. I give comprehensible input…. You get the picture…
So enough about teaching!
Can a ROUTINE be negative?
I think it can. If my life is in such a pattern or box that I never glance around to see what others are going through, then that is a problem or at the very least a red flag. I never want my routine to keep me from seeing people the way Jesus sees them. And I especially do not want to miss opportunities to be light and life to those who are hurting and in need of someone who cares.
The bottom line–
I want to say yes to routine to prevent chaos,
but I want to be willing to
drop my routine when God places a person or task along my path for a reason.
What about you?