Every morning, I wake up, workout, shower, dress, apply makeup, make breakfast, wake up my children, eat breakfast, pack lunches, pack backpacks, put on shoes and coats, and then load up the car. I drop off my daughter at daycare, hop back in the car, and head to school with my kindergarten daughter. I live in a town where tourism is very heavy in the summer. Due to the change in traffic in the last few weeks, I have been late to school a few times. My route to school from daycare is the fastest from October through April. Since it is now May, I need to change my route. Changing my route has been difficult! Change is hard! More than 75% of the time, I start driving the October through April route and don’t realize until it is too late to switch. The route has become a part of my morning routine and has become habitual. The entire drive to daycare I try to visualize driving to school using the new route... leave and turn left rather than right, but when I drop off my daughter, hop back in the car, I instinctively turn right.
Duhigg’s book The power of habit: Why we do what we do in life and business describes how our brain changes as individuals create new patterns. When posed with an old habit our brain acknowledges this and sometimes people will revert to the old. Duhigg explained how difficult it can be to change a habit. Individuals are presented with a cue, their routine kicks in and they are then rewarded (2012). My students in my classroom have been in a routine all year, and they know how this routine works. Everyday after lunch, I read aloud and then when I am done, students gather their materials for math. They know which materials they will be using and can do this without much prompting. One day, we had a virtual presentation after we read aloud and wouldn’t be immediately working on math. I had forewarned students of this change, and noted it on our schedule and calendar, however, after I finished reading aloud students started to gather materials. It was an ingrained habit, they acknowledged the cue: book ended; they started their routine: gathered materials; and waited for the reward: praise.
Habits in an elementary school can be beneficial for students. Learning a routine in a school can eliminate anxiety for students. They know what is coming, it is familiar and students can plan ahead for this. When a routine changes, due to a field trip, assembly, class celebration it is exciting for most but for some students it can be debilitating. Habits and routines can also pose a challenge for teachers. Teachers can become so accustomed to their routines and not welcome new teaching strategies or changes in schedule because it is not what they are familiar with. In the world of education, methods of delivering instruction and curriculum constantly change which can make it difficult for some learners while others thrive. As humans we all have our established routines and habits, sometimes these can be very beneficial, such as working out daily is valuable. However, others can pose a problem, including smoking or overeating. In either case, habits are difficult to change and require a shift in thinking when disrupting that normal practice.
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