Welcome to my "renovision"...Pardon the mess.

This was our deck in 2015 as our contractor was doing demolition. Dated. Ugly. Unstable. Impractical for our family to enjoy.

    

And, as we found out after they tore it down, not properly supported by the foundational structures. It had been putting pressure on the rest of the house, which finally explained some cracks that we had noticed in walls, but had simply attributed to the house settling.

         

Here is our new deck. Reconfigured with wider stairs and sturdy railings. Solidly-built. A place where our family can relax and enjoy the outdoors. However, it is also a work in progress. We have stained part of it, but need to pressure wash and stain the rest. It has some furniture, but is far from ready for a magazine cover. 
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This deck project made me reflect on the parallels between home improvement and instructional design. My teaching has changed substantially over my career, but particularly in the last 10 years, due to greater emphasis on proficiency. I have had to honestly assess the cracks in my instructional practices to fix or get rid of things that aren't well-supported and functional. I seek inspiration everywhere to find solutions that suit my style and budgetary constraints, while still considering the needs and tastes of my students. Sometimes I have to call in an expert or learn new skills to repair a problem. New projects generally require several tools and fresh materials to make the "renovision" a reality. The transformation is exciting, but the process is messy and you never TRULY finish.

As teachers, when we see or read about the amazing things that others are doing with their students, we are often inspired to try something new. Unfortunately, if it's not an immediate success, it can also leave us feeling dejected when we have to look at the remains of a project that didn't quite come to fruition. We may struggle to envision what it will look like when finished and installed or we may lack the skills to carry out the renovation by ourselves or we may simply underestimate the time and energy required to complete the project. The important thing is that none of these obstacles should keep anyone from tackling an improvement project-- experiencing and working through setbacks is what creates an expert. My goal for this blog is to celebrate this organic process of "renovision" through the failures and successes that happen along the way. Let's tear down some walls, put up some scaffolding, roll up our sleeves, and focus on building our dream classes, one project at a time.