What's the Best That Could Happen?

Book excerpt: What if... Every year, beloved teacher and author Debbie Miller commits to trying something new. She asks a "beautiful question" that pushes her to see new possibilities and put children at the center of her teaching. She asks, "What if we did it this way?" "When we do, we're present in our teaching," she says. "We're strong enough to set aside judgment and discomfort and choose to focus on how to make things better." In What's the Best That Could Happen?, Debbie confronts a challenge all teachers face: the feeling of being stuck and the fear of trying something new. She explores how questions help us look beyond the limitations of what we've done and discover powerful new opportunities for teaching and learning. Each chapter digs into a question about teaching from Debbie's work with teachers and children across the country: What if each day's teaching focused on children's agency? What if we made what children make and do our priority? What if our classroom environment and routines offered choice? What if we owned the units we're asked to teach? What if read aloud sustained children's independent thinking? You'll find practical insights and critical understandings that will benefit you and your children. More importantly, you'll learn to ask your own beautiful questions, grapple with the messiness that surfaces, and find answers that inspire something new and worthy in your teaching.