The amount of time that I spend on making plans has led me to think on many occasions, what is more important; to have plans on paper or to have them in place. I speak from my experience first as a teacher and then as an educator. Making lesson plans, plans for events, celebrations, parent interactions and for any suggestion or thought that strikes your mind; the moment you share it - "Create a plan to take this forward".
I do realise and see value in planning but at the same time also feel that a plan in place is much better than one on paper. Plans are only guidelines, detailing and clarity in the thought process is required during implementation.
A lesson plan made weeks in advance could end up lying in the classroom cupboard. During the implementation period, teachers might not even look at it and yet if they clearly know what has to be done and how it has to be done, one might see amazing learning experiences in classrooms. Detailing in plans, yes but more in your implementation. One of my strengths I feel is planning, I can make simple plans and get the same outcomes and make complex plans and get the same outcomes. Simple plans simplify life and give us lot more time to see things happening around us.
