Friday Reflections

We have hit another milestone - 2nd and 3rd graders along with one fifth grade class, that is Michelle Fischer’s class are in the building!  A transition amidst many transitions, to be sure.  We are hearing so much in the news, daily outcries from all fronts, that kids are struggling with serious stuff like depression and even suicides.  The nation is tuned in to our students’ social emotional well being; and, that is wonderful, we know and value it deeply, and have it front and center.  Today, I want to highlight staff social emotional well being.  Where’s the country’s out cry about our social emotional well being?  It seems that the movers and shakers barely broach that idea.  Are the people outside the schools even aware that many of us need support for our social emotional well being?   I am concerned about all of you - your overall well being.  I recognize that navigating the virus and all these transitions and changes are stressfu...

“Experience is a hard teacher.  She gives the test first, the lesson afterward”. Well we have the experience now; that is, we have experienced a virtual year of education, but what are the lessons? We don’t even know the lessons from the virtual world - we haven’t had time to process important lessons and we are moving right into another test, that is, hybrid.  Kindergarten and first grade teachers have completed Day 7 of test two.  Most of us are too close to the forest to see the trees. In other words, we can’t really pinpoint the lessons we are taking from this whirlwind experience.  I observed Shauna’s first grade hybrid class - and I think she has identified a tree.  Shauna has worked through a huge detail of the needed screen, audio, and volume adjustments that allows both groups to see and hear one another. Additionally, Shauna has the in-school kids looking at their IPADs and the smart board.  Both practices are working for Shauna to be able to teac...