This is the first installment in our 20-part series of tips for educators, offering practical, equity-centered advice. Today’s focus: Tip #1 “Plan for Problems.” People often say the only certainties in life are death and taxes. It is my belief that for educators, another certainty is that problems will arise. When educators accept this as a reality, they are in position to face challenges with intention rather than fear. Today’s educational landscape is unpredictable, full of systemic inequalities and emotional complexity. Educators who prepare in advance for problems that may arise are showing care for themselves, their educational environment, and their students. When educators are prepared for problems that may arise they are acting in ways that build resilience and provide a good example for their students.
Exploring the Meaning
When educators plan for problems, it means they are designing knowing that disruption is not only possible, but it is likely. Disruption can take the form of tech failure, student crisis, or problems with curriculum. Preparing in advance for these things is not an act of pessimism. It is an act of preparedness. Educators preparing for problems in advance has pedagogical connections to culturally responsive teaching, trauma-informed care, and narrative pedagogy.
Culturally Responsive Teaching
Culturally responsive teaching recognizes the fact that students are not a monolith. Students may come from cultural traditions that may be different from that of the typical white middle class female teacher. It also recognizes that these cultural differences may lead to problems and unexpected situations in the classroom. When educators prepare for these things in advance, they are showing respect for cultural differences. And thus they are making the educational environment better for their students.
Trauma-Informed Care
Planning for problems is part of educators providing trauma-informed care for their students. Planning for problems encourages educators to be proactive in providing scaffolding for emotional and behavioral disruptions that may take place in the classroom. Students who have dealt with or are dealing with trauma in their lives outside of school need educators to prepare for trauma responses, emotional disturbances, and behavioral challenges. By planning ways to handle these things in advance, educators are able to reduce educational disruptions and created a better environment for their students.
Narrative Pedagogy
Using stories to help students learn is a way to help prepare for problems before they happen. One thing educators can do is share stories about problems and ask students what they would do in those situations. This is a way educators can help students realize that problems are part of the learning process rather than signs of failure. Additionally, when teachers listen to students’ stories about themselves, their families, and their communities, the gain insight that will give them insight about problems thar may arise in the classroom. Those stories may provide a roadmap to solutions for problems when they arise.
Classroom Applications
In their classrooms educators should prepare for “Plan B.” For example, they should have offline versions of digital lessons available. They should also have a list of options available to deal with students who need sensory or emotional regulation. Advance planning can also help with children who have behavioral problems. This planning may help educators have distractions, calming toys, and behavior modification plans at the ready.
Conclusion
When educators plan for problems they are engaging in empathy. This planning shift s the narrative from control to care. It helps educators move from rigidity to responsiveness. When planning for problems, educators should take care to plan in ways that play to their strengths. This can be done through lesson design, rituals in the classroom, and with team planning. No matter what method is used, educators must plan what they will do when problems arise, before the problems arise.
Further Reading
20 Tips for Educators: A Powerful and Informative Series
Phenomenal Woman: Four Poems Celebrating Women by Maya Angelou
The Complete Poetry by Maya Angelou
Unleash the Fire Within: Maya Angelou’s Lifegiving Wisdom for Educators
About the Author
Dr. Janeane Davis is Founder and Principal Consultant at Janeane Davis and Associates: Educational Consultants. Most of her writing begins at a well-lit desk where strategy meets storytelling and systems take shape around real lives. Her consulting work centers families, scholars, and institutions committed to equity—and she writes to bring clarity to complex questions, especially those often left unasked.
Desk light on. Pages open. Always listening.