Killing your darlings

I don't know who first coined the phrase, "sometimes you have to kill your babies/darlings." I thought it was the Southern writer Eudora Welty, but it probably existed before her time.  It means that sometimes you have to get rid of what is dear to you - as a writer, that is.

I think it goes beyond writing and into any area within one's job. Sometimes you have to get rid of something you've created, or come up with that just doesn't work.  Perhaps it worked at one time, but now it just doesn't fit with the times or the people you're around.

I've found this to be very true in teaching. I discovered a rhythm that worked well for a few years. This year, the state changed some things on me, so that took away some of my rhythm. I had to make some changes - some good, and some I'll never do again.

And so, I'm in the process of killing my darlings (not my real ones, of course). It's been a year of transition in my classroom, and students never fully respond in those situations. I'm really excited as I begin planning for next year. Now that I know what to expect from the state, now that I know what's expected from me as a teacher under the new curriculum standards, I'm really excited to begin anew and create some new darlings.