Hello June

Made it to June! As we head into June, our last month of the 2020-2021 school year, I want to stop and reflect.  This has been the the most challenging year in my teaching career.  The combination of transferring into a different school in my district and teaching during the Covid pandemic with new staff and students has test my resilience.  

It made me stop and reflect on our teaching model and how it does not work.  We schedule our learning into blocks and place value on certain subject over others. With teachers and staff being forced into using technology online has provided a sense of urgency that has been lacking for the last decade in public education. When the pandemic hit in March of 2020 teachers moved entirely to an online model, primarily using Google Meet or Zoom to connect with students.  Teachers moved from delivering lessons and lectures to redesign their lessons for remote learning.  In September of 2020 we returned to school in a hybrid model teaching part of a class on Monday and Tuesday and the other part on Thursday and Friday.  On Wednesdays we delivered lessons to remote students along with student that stayed in a remote models.  We focused on teaching differently with a Professional Development lenses on Social Emotional Learning. In addition to adjusting for K-12 teaching, I also had to revisit the delivery for my graduate classes focused on the integration of technology in various models with teachers that were learning and adjusting their practices. This opportunity provided me with empathy for their roles as classroom teachers during such a difficult year.  I did find the combination of the two models pushed my thinking, creativity and comfort level delivering instruction.  There are times I thrived in this model and there were pockets of just surviving the situation. 

As a educator and a digital learning coach I have always thrived whether teaching in public education or higher-ed. The last year has made me wonder about how to spend more of my time thriving and less reacting to situations beyond my control.  New challenges and opportunities can be very intimidating but staying is a system that traps or prevents you from thriving is also not good. I plan to reflect more on this topic over the coming months and connect with other educators that are feeling the same impact of the moment.  

I've had this quote hanging in my office for a number of years.  There have been many people that have inspired me over the years and at the same time there have been situations that just drain teachers and we do not have control over.  The only thing we may be able to control is surrounding ourselves with leaders and colleagues that help to inspire me.  We always have choices.   Stay tuned for more thoughts on this topic. I plan to read more this summer on reimaging September when I teach this summer and also begin to think about how the fall could look different.