Retrospect

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. -George Santayana

I came across this quote when I was planning an activity for Digging Up the Past, an informational text. I wonder what the context is, considering that "condemned" is a negatively-charged word. Are we condemned if we repeat something that works? If I were to modify this, I'd say "those who cannot remember the past lose access to cheat sheets."

So what would my cheat sheet contain?
Things that deserve an encore

• Writing Workshops -- I never seem to stop talking about them. What can I do? I love them. They empower students to stand for what they believe in even if it means going against the will of the pack;  develop impartial students who can separate the art from the artist if need be; and  give students an avenue to voice their opinions which make them better writers (and hopefully, citizens in general).
• Differentiated Group / Individual Activities -- I get tired of checking the same output, so why should I expect students to like doing the same requirement repeatedly? Besides, monotony kills creativity, something that these kids seem to have an abundance of.
• Art of Questioning -- When students ask me questions, I rarely give straight answers. Instead, I ask them questions that lead to the answer of their first question. I do this not to annoy them (at least not intentionally) but to make them think--and consequently realize they can come up with answers/solutions if they tried.

Things that need more rehearsals

Ironically, the strengths mentioned can also be weaknesses. :/

• Some students prefer working alone.
• Some students find security in monotony since they see it as stability.
• Some students consider thinking a tedious task. (See what I did there? Hoho)

Where do we draw the line between catering to students' needs and making them overly dependent? between breaking them to make them stronger and handing them a crutch that renders them helpless later on?