In the first few turns of Yahtzee, your scorecard is wide open. You can take huge risks, knowing you’ll be able to score something, even if it isn’t ideal. And your risks can pay off with lucky rolls and higher scores.
In the last few turns of Yahtzee, you’re most likely to have to score zero in a high scoring category – you aren’t able to take the risks you could in the beginning, because the available categories are much more limited. (In other words, the choices you make early in the game determine the choices you’ll make at the end.)
A school year is a little like that – early on, you can take risks – risks on repertoire, risks on new learning models, risks on setting aside rehearsal time for interesting diversions. Later in the year, you’ve committed to so many things that it’s less likely that you can take those risks.
It’s the beginning of the new school year, and your scorecard has been completely scrambled by COVID-19. What gambles are you going to take in your teaching to create the best attainable outcomes?