Pandemonium Can Be a Virus Too

Is this you too?

Have you ever found yourself listening to the rumblings….contributing…..only to suddenly realizing that the current of thoughts is focusing on one really big topic and is taking up ocean front real estate in your mind? It is so easy, friend! I found myself spiraling into this pit just last night and awoke to the thought, pandemonium can be a virus too.

Good educators are natural worriers. We tend to like having control of situations and to begin the school year with perfection as we welcome new students into our classrooms. We spend the summers reflecting and refining to give the very best to our students. It is an understatement to say that COVI-19 has thrown a monkey wrench into our plans.

For the first time in our careers, the opening day is not followed by an exclamation point but a question mark. We then find ourselves on social media and in conversations of anxiety, unknown, and anticipation. For one, I am thankful for masks to cover my face as I avoid these conversations with community friends on grocery store runs .

If we are not careful, we can let it consume us. Someone once said that worry just robs us of the present. I am doing my best to be mindful that everything is going to be alright. We will get through this. Educators are the world’s best at being dealt impossible hands and making the absolute best of it. In the meantime, I came up with few things for you to think about in place of worrying.

1. Take time for yourself. Find that book. Take that walk. Try those recipes. Send cards to those you miss. Try something new. We are going to need your best you when we return to school.

2. Acknowledge that some things are just out of our bubble of control. This is such a liberating experience. Influence where you can and let go of what you can’t.

3. Trust that every one is doing the best they can. I try to give grace because I know I am going to need it myself at times….we all do.

4. If you must think about school…..I know it is always something that is on my mind. Think of how you can improve and move forward. Consider how far you have come since Covid-19 landed on our plates. Reflect on how you can take what you have learned to provide a richer classroom, remote, and blended experience for students.

5. Keep people in your bubble that inspire you to grow and be that for someone else. Friends that focus on growth and ideas are good to have. They give us a space to dream and imagine. It is so good for our brains, our emotions, and well being. If you find each other going down Pandemonium street, pull one another out of it.

I hope you find these things helpful. Just getting them down in words has been some what therapeutic for myself. We must work together to contain the spread of pandemonium. We need no vaccine for it. You have everything you need to be a positive force for good. One thing I say to my children and self frequently is, “This too shall pass.” We are in a major moment in history. Our children are going to have remarkable stories to pass down generations. Let’s be a part of the solution, not the problem. Let’s ban together and know that it is all going to be alright.

Day One…..Again

My First Classroom

Last week, I listened to the Moments of Inspiration podcast titled, “Thanks for the Memories.”  The episode highlighted the parallels of everyone’s first year of teaching to remote learning.

I couldn’t help but reflect on my first year of teaching.  Coming fresh out of student teaching 6th grade at the American School Foundation in Guadalajara, I applied for one job in one school system at one school……my older wiser self would call that as stupid.  My spirit saw it as a leap of faith.

A unique situation, my first school had one class per grade level, but there had been a surge of kindergartners. I was the over flow teacher with nine sweet little babies…….in the basement of a trailer in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Do you see that beautiful blue building pictured above?….the bottom was mine. We were, “The Kinders Down Under.” Added humor for those very familiar with the bathroom habits of primary children…..the bathroom was a single sitting cinder block add on upstairs. The bus parking lot was right beside us.  In some eyes it could have been considered a disaster, but it was my disaster.  Although I will attest that Appalachian State is the best college for upcoming teachers…….I had to grow more that first year than ever.  These are a few lessons I learned.

Lean on Your Peers

If it had not been for that amazing school community, I would not have survived.  They were nurturing and helpful.  I remember the first time I had a discipline issue and just didn’t know what to do.  My principal loaned me the book, Discipline with Dignity.  He treated me like a daughter and made me feel comfortable about asking for help rather than always trying to navigate through on my own.  My mentor teachers took me in and shared lessons, guided me through ideas, and asked for help when they thought I had something to offer.  Everyone had a place a the table our janitor, teacher assistants, cafeteria workers, parents, teachers……everybody, even me.  I am forever thankful for these folks and still consider them family today.  Where you teach is just as important as what you teach.  I tell this to every beginning teacher.  Seek a place where you feel that you can be supported and grow.

Remote learning is new for everyone.  Lean in on those that can help you and see others to help guide.  Remember to sit at the table together and be inviting so others can join in.

Relationships, Relationships, Relationships

I couldn’t have leaned on my peers if everyone wasn’t open to forming  positive relationships.  I remember my mentor teacher advising me when she said, “The parent is always the first teacher, you are the secondary.”  This taught me honor and respect my students families.  That very beginning advice has guided me against the “us vs them” theme that can be so easy to slip into as an educator.  Still today, miles apart, I remain close with many of my first families.  Those strong relationships also helped them forgive me in my mistakes…..believe me, there were so many.  While remote teaching, you will make mistakes.  We all will. I know some are getting so tired of the cliche, “We are all in this together,” but it can carry so much weight if taken seriously on all sides.

Safety First, Safety Always

Speaking of mistakes.  I could write a safety manual or humor piece on all of my mistakes.  It would have to be anonymous as it would be so embarrassing.  After that first year of teaching, I always over planned and considered the worst case scenario before moving forward.  The worst case scenario didn’t always stop me….but the awareness helped me better prepare for monkey wrenches.  When remote teaching, always navigate through your assignments first to make sure they are accessible and appropriate for what you are teaching.  There are amazing resources that can help you approach Digital Citizenship in a meaningful way here.

I would not trade my first year for anything.  If I close my eyes today, I can still picture my students sitting on the carpet as I read a book from the rocking chair.  I can still see them walking to the cafeteria like little ducks in the rain.  I can still feel the fear as I sent one to the bathroom upstairs for ‘mergencies’ not sure of the outcome. I absolutely still feel the warmth that my colleagues shared when I felt defeated and lonely.

How does your first year of teaching parallel to this school year? 

How can you be inviting and supporting to others? 

Who can you reach out to when you feel defeated?

Navigating Distance Learning as a Mom and a Teacher

You get the news….you can work from home and your children can too.  Sounds great, right?  Work with pajama bottoms, no more walking students to the bathroom, you get bathroom breaks…….you are a teacher.  A 1:2 ratio is much more manageable than a 1:25.  What’s the big deal?……said no parent teacher ever.

 

Yes, you may have given them life, and you went to college to learn how children work……but there is just something about your own children.  I am with you friend.

That first “official” day of distance learning was a pure T mess in my house.  I had a gazillion emails coming through from teachers and parents needing help.  The occasional phone call from a parent friend who was struggling…..teacher friends struggling.  At the same time, I was trying to fix it all……my own children had their own assignments….passwords, sounds, google meets OH MY! At the time, I would have happily delt with lions, tigers, and bears. There were no tears, but I am not proud of my “mothering and teachering” that day.  We had a family meeting to decide what path we wanted to take in the next days.

THEY WANTED FLEXIBILITY AND FREEDOM

Our day did not have to look like the regular school day.  Let’s get real, this isn’t like and will not be the same.  One thing that makes me uncomfortable in the regular school setting is the rigidness of time.  I understand it is necessary for the management of the masses, but I have three humans in the house during the day.  Surely I could offer more to my children.  I knew they would not look back to remember their assignments from day to day, but I knew they would remember if their mother transformed into a monster.  I considered those pretty schedules everyone has been posting from Pinterest, but I felt that if the children and I agreed on something that we created, they would be more interested in doing it.

We decided to begin the day with free space.  I like to sleep right up until it is time to brush my teeth and get started (I have weened myself off of the daily cup of coffee…insanity I know).  They tend to get up earlier.  They have from the time they wake up, until 8:00 to just just do their thing.  They may watch TV, play video games, what ever until 8:00.  They own it.  At 8:00, they have a few chores.  Walk the dog, unload the dishwasher, put laundry in, brush your teeth.  That gives me time to get a good head start on work, at 7:00, to take care of any emergencies that were emailed over night.  At 9:00, they are pretty over doing chores and are happy to get on to school assignments.

When working on their own stuff, I’ve pretty much stuck to the motto, “Work hard, play hard.”

Oliver is my more independent learner.  He feels behind if he waits to get started at 9:00.  He has a strong work ethic and school is pretty easy for him.  He has set high standards for himself. We have a few good common areas in the house.  When working on school work, I tell them that they must be in a common area.  There is just something about chromebooks in bedrooms that makes me uncomfortable. Oliver chooses the couch most days. 

 

 

Cooper, my sweet youngest child…..just wants to finish. School isn’t easy for him. He puts off work and has a tough time processing what he needs to do.  We have found a flexible arrangement together that has been working over the past two weeks.  On his assignments that change from day to day, he sits beside me as I work.  This helps him maintain focus and I like being right there to notice if he gets stumped.  For written work, I have him write his answers down on paper, we edit and correct together, and then he types his answers. He lets me look over and give feedback before he hits submit (this was hard for him to wrap his mind around at first).  I’m hoping this process helps him establish better working habits, I can already see improvement.  

(Mom, why are you taking my picture? I’m working!)

 

Even Cooper needs his space.  There are some programs that he uses daily (Bless you Lyrics to Learn).  When he has those types of assignments, he get to go to any common area he pleases.  That is when I’m most likely to find him perched on a pillow in the play room.  This photo makes my mama heart very happy. 

 

 

Once they’ve finished their assignments, they have the choice to read or play……. unplugged.  This has led to driveway basketball, throwing the baseball, woodland hunts, and learning how to entertain themselves.  I do believe it is important that children learn to cope with free time.  All to often, we schedule every minute of their day thinking the structure is good for them.  Children need time to just figure it out.  This is one great attribute of a Gen X alum. Embrace the peace that this awful virus has forced us to find.

Evidence of a good time…….worn out bicycle tires.

They both have started an interest in instruments.  Cooper has a free trial of piano lessons thanks to Simply Piano that came with his keyboard.  He started this week and I really hope he sticks with it. Oliver has decided to dust off one of my guitars and try out the Fender Music free lesson trial.  They have inspired me to “tune in” a little more and get back to my love of music and play with them.

Even more importantly, find yourself a happy place.  Retreat there every day.  If I’m on our property, it is on my front porch (until it is warm enough to swim).  Allow yourself time to just exist and rest.  Don’t get glued to your computer all day every day.  Set office hours and try to stick to them.  I’m not the best at that part, but I am getting better at not feeling guilty for stepping away from my laptop.  My other happy place is in the kitchen.  I love cooking, and these boys are going to eat me out of house and home. My boys prepare their own breakfast.  I throw quick short order meals together for lunch, and  cook one pretty meal every day for dinner. Every few days, the boys help me mid day prepare a dessert for the evening….jello goes a long way folks….call it chemistry. lol

I hope most of all, you understand that it doesn’t have to be complicated.  Give yourself and your children a little grace.  Find a rhythm together. It is totally okay if you don’t have a color coded schedule on your refrigerator.   Know that you will get through this!

What have you found in your rhythm of the day? 

Where is your happy place? 

How can you encourage another teacher friend to free her/himself of guilt? 

How has working with your on children during the day while distance learning helped you give a little more grace to your students and parents? 

 

Distance Learning – We ARE Ready For This Part 2

We’ve had a little over a week where a possibility transformed to a certain.  The mathematical part of my brain can see this week as a slanted bell curve with a peek reaching Tuesday with things starting to calm as we end the work week.  Y’all, we are living in a major moment in history right now!  I think about books read as a child in the context of children living through historical events.  Our children are those children right now.  I’ve told my boys time and again…..you are going to have so many stories to tell your children and grandchildren.  Hurricane Florence….Covid-19.

Now that devices have been given, this is my reality….

 

 

 

 

 

This child, in a world filled with uncertainty, worry, and concern has found excitement.  This child, is ready for you.  He has so much to teach us.  This is what I know, and it holds true every day.

Your students want to learn and create.
They want to see & hear you. 
They want you to see & hear them. 
They want to see & hear each other.

Funny thing, none of these concepts are new.  They are the feelings that children have on any given day, pandemic or not.  If we truly want to move in the right direction for remote/distance learning opportunities, we must hold and protect these truths.  

I probably get 50-70 emails a day, easily,  on my work email.  That number has quadrupled over the past week with many of them edtech companies offering free services for a limited time.  Multiply that by a gazillion and you get even more online suggestions in your social media feeds.  Remember, regardless of where you are teaching your students, those basic needs must be met.  When you are sifting through platforms and programs, look for what can foster creativity in your absence.  Seek out opportunities to spark that curiosity within every child. Search for ways to them to connect with each other and you for those emotional checks.

When sharing with my staff, I collected my favorite tools along with some wonderful resources I would like to share with you.   This by no means is all my own work, but a collection over time from suggestions, experience, colleagues and my wonderful twitter PLN. We must spread the good.

Keep in mind, as always, that standards can be taught, met, and exceeded while keeping the truths of children at the top priority.  

 

 

Distance Learning-We ARE Ready For This Part 1

Photo by Prateek Katyal on Pexels.com

Like many of you, when I kissed my husband on New Year’s Eve, I had no idea what this year would bring us.  Yet, we all ring in the New Year with a level of hope and faith that come what may, we are all in this together.

Just ten days ago, I was in the height of one of my favorite times of the year.  Our state technology conference, #NCTIES2020.  Ironically to my introduction, the conference slogan was 2020 Vision.  Thousands of attendees and hundreds of students sharing and collaborating visionary ideas and greatness that is happening all over North Carolina.

As I was putting the final touches on our presentation I began receiving messages from a parent who was utterly concerned and surprised that the conference was not canceled and that I was still taking students.  One case had been confirmed in Raleigh that very day.  Like other sicknesses that seem to sweep across the globe and move on, I wasn’t concerned.  I didn’t dismiss the concern, but a window to “what if” definitely opened in the back of my head.

In just a few days that “what if” quickly changed to more and more of a possibility with every given moment.  We all had to transition from the “conference show and share” mode to the planning mode for the coming days.

There are three themes in the conference that I can’t help but notice as a divine intervention……EQUITY, PERSONALIZED LEARNING, AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING.  Those are concepts that will carry us forward as we step into this journey of Distance Learning.

EQUITY 

In distance learning, when I consider equity in this context, I think of access.  I think of taking into consideration that everyone’s home is different.  When surveying district families, some stated that their only device connected to the internet was an Xbox.  What do we do with that?

How do we provide access so that everyone has access to activities linked to standards? 

How do we provide access to materials, peers, and assistance when we are not together?

How do we know what they need? 

Our district leadership is second to none.  They have done everything to cut out the red tape that sometimes makes access non-equitable.  My heart jumped when a district leader said, we want as many books in the hands of children as possible.  They do not need to be sitting on shelves. I love how the business world has stepped up as well.  Spectrum’s internet extension to those without access is going to be a game changer. I pray once we all see the lack of equitable access in this situation, justice can be found.

PERSONALIZED LEARNING

I can’t help but feel that this forced distance learning is a big step in personalized learning.  Teachers know where their students are.  Distance learning forces us to keep in mind that Goldilocks and the Three Little Bears mentality when providing digital learning opportunities that are not too easy….not too hard…..but just right.  One on one communication through tools (Part 2) to place teacher and student into intentional feedback mode.

How do we deliver that “just right” good fit instruction with out reinventing the wheel? 

How do we emulate that rich person to person learning experience with digital tools from a distance? 

How do we deliver timely feedback throughout the process?

How do we create valuable remote learning experiences so that children want to participate while at home? 

Throughout the years, I’ve gathered and shared awesome resources to my staff that can do just that.  One thing that gets in the way is the “We’ve always done it this way,” mentality…….this transition forces to step out of that comfort zone and try it in a different way.

SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING

I loved how NCTIES threaded #SEL throughout the conference in a way that things just made sense.  One session with the Friday Institute involved everyone connecting social emotional standards to #ISTE student standards to curriculum standards….BOOM.  They are all connected and should not be left in isolation.  This one is a little more difficult to tackle remotely but definitely should not be ignored.  Social emotional needs of children should be at a heightened priority. Self management is going to be very necessary for success.

How do we connect with students while being a part? 

How can we give students opportunities to connect with peers during this time?

How can we help children not absorb the worry that circles around them concerning this pandemic?

How do we deliver quality remote learning opportunities without pairing it with pressure beyond their control in home variables? 

How do we create valuable remote learning experiences so that children want to participate while at home? (I know this question is a repeat…it is my favorite.)

In Part 2, I’ll be giving you some tools to consider as you marinate on the questions above.  Remote learning may be new to most, but the quality digital learning tools we have come to love in the classroom will really come in handy now.

I can’t help but remember a twitter/youtube live chat with #InnovatorsMindset author George Couros, years ago, about how constraints force us to be innovative. The coming weeks are that crucible we have needed to fall forward.