Of Cookies and Educators

It’s Appreciation Week at my daughter’s school this week and I’ve got a batch of cookies in the oven as we ‘speak’. Maybe it’s the late hour or the delicious smell of baked goods, but I think there’s a definite connection between cookies and teaching. When you bake cookies, you have to follow the instructions (unless you’re a great baker and know all the steps by heart…unlike me…I need instructions!) and teachers give instructions that have to be followed. The simpler the instructions, the better. That makes for easy cookies and flourishing students. The right ingredients are crucial to the cookie’s taste and the right classroom ingredients, like thoughtfully designed lessons, engaging activities, the use of best practices, and skillful assessment are critical the student’s success. When combined, the instructions and the ingredients can give rise to something truly wonderful.