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...

Amanda Gorman wrote and delivered the perfect message for all of us.  The poem’s title is spot on “The Hill We Climb” - and its message is so fitting for schools. This week we moved up the hill when our kindergarten and first grade hybrid kids came back into our school -   their school .  A kindergarten girl came into the building and said "I've been waiting years for this day".   A first grade parent stopped and said we were thinking about the timeline and our daughter has spent more time in remote learning then actually in the school; parent and child were both excited to be back in school and the girl remembered most of the building. And, when teaching began, you began the delicate balance of teaching to the kids now in front of you and teaching to the Zoom kids.  You are the maestros conducting the wonderful orchestra of learning.  For sure, hybrid throws off your rhythm, rattles your securities, but what you accomplished this week is monumental! It’s y...

After reading each group’s notes on their “do’s” and “don'ts”, all of us pulled out the major points from the  EdWeek article    I wish we would’ve had more time with the article - because discussing ideas allows us to extend our thinking.  But as we find our way in these next months we will return to many of these insights.      Below are some thoughts expanding on some common threads we all pulled from the article: Do play to your strengths.  I hope you know your strength/s; your strong characteristics and your best practices will enable you to be successful. Do reach out - in other words, do not go it alone.  Share the work.  Share the wealth of what you know with each other.  Others may have tips/experience - ask...ask...ask. For help.  Do streamline your work load.  Most of us are in the midst of transition - kids on screen and kids in person.  What you're doing right now with remote learning with the entire clas...

On this last day of the week, I don’t want you to overburden your already overburdened hearts and minds with work related issues. Today, the Friday after Wednesday, the day the Presidential electoral votes were to be counted, we are all Americans. We have experienced the democracy that we have taken for granted be shaken to its roots.  And, it is unsettling, to say the least - to see the seat of our government taken over.   Isn’t there enough going on with our very lives threatened by the Covid?  Many of our families being jobless; many of our neighborhood businesses closing or close to closing; our school staff taxed to the max in terms of adapting to virtual leaning and then to hybrid.  Enough. We look at the events of this week and are aware more than ever we need to build bridges, not walls.  And, as educators, we have the tools and the mindset to build moral bridges that will unite not divide. This weekend take time to clear your heads and lift your spirits...

At our weekly PST meetings, I’ve been hearing more of concerns in dealing with students who are experiencing difficulty with staying on task. It goes without saying that our students and families are dealing with many obstacles in daily living - and the virus has exacerbated all of it.   And, our kids bring bring their problems to the virtual classroom. Here are two teachers who are meeting their students where they are at.  Their genuine care for these students is exactly what each student needs if the student is to be receptive to what is being taught.   Jess has come up with a ten minute practice that is helping one of her third graders become more actively engaged with remote learning.  This third grader spends the day with her grandmother; the grandmother is not able to effectively monitor her granddaughter’s screen time. So the little girl was not only muting her screen, but also disconnecting her audio and shutting off the video.  Her father wou...

  Happy Friday and welcome December! Are you aware of what is going on in the biggest school district In the country?  Here are the facts from a recent article from The Guardian. "New York City’s public schools will begin to reopen for in-person learning  on December 7th , starting with elementary schools for students whose parents agree to a weekly testing regimen for the coronavirus, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Sunday. The schools were closed less than two weeks ago after the citywide rate of coronavirus tests coming back positive exceeded a 3% benchmark agreed to by the mayor and teachers’ union. It’s a new approach because we have so much proof now of how safe schools can be, De Blasio told reporters on Sunday, adding the 3% benchmark was being scrapped and pointing to research that shows young children appear to be less vulnerable to Covid-19."  What does this mean for us? I’m thinking that we could get back into school sooner than...

We are coming up on the last full week of October!   Praise the bridges that brought us thus far.  When I stop to think of my bridges, it’s special people who come to mind - the ones who helped me cross over to higher ground.   We have a bridge in our building - it’s Anna.  Anna has our severely handicapped three and four year old preschoolers.  Anna has fought and advocated to bring her students into the building.  She has pleaded not to wait until the entire school goes into the hybrid model.  She spoke up often and empowered us administrators to take the risk of moving her students to in person instruction.  Just soak in the image of Anna with her students.  You will see how significant Anna’s presence along with her wonderful pre school team in the lives of her kids - in the lives of her kids’s parents.  Kudos to you, Anna.  You and your team’s absence in the lives of your students was a huge void.  You built the ...

Whiplash, anyone? It seems that the longer we are into this pandemic, the longer the list of concerns and the list of questions. The big election, the big megaphones, the little voices all trying to break through the fog to move safely through daily personal and work life.  We want to pull the covers over our heads and not get out of bed; but, being responsible, caring, professional adults, hiding from reality is only occasionally an option. A special badge of heroism belongs to the preschool, kindergarten, 1st grade and special education staff who worked their tails off these past weeks to be prepared to teach hybrid next week. All of you stepped up – with the mixed emotions surrounding hybrid because that was what was needed.   You wanted to be meeting and smiling in person to little ones who surely would finally see you in person and greet you with warmth and excitement.  Probably more than any other single classes, the little ones need in person learning.  T...

We are all in this boat together – sink or swim.  Certainly, we are better off mentally when we swim.  When Mary first announced that we need to start planning for our hybrid model, I felt like I was sinking and occasionally coming up for air. I’m going to try to nail down my mindset over the last few weeks.   I struggled with thoughts like “I’m not ready for hybrid”, “we’re not ready for hybrid”, “I wasn’t expecting this”, “I don’t know where to turn”, “I don’t know how to turn”.  Helpless and looking for help – all in the same breath.  I felt anxious and frustrated.  I looked for reasons to prolong the start date and convinced myself that my thinking was correct. I continued being anxious and frustrated until a lightbulb went off for me.  I needed to be honest with myself about why I didn’t want to face this transition.  F...

I had a Friday reflection all set to send out this week, but I'm switching directions after our School District's board   meeting about our potential move into hybrid.  Most of us have found a comfortable rhythm with virtual learning - and   now a big wrench is thrown into it.  The introduction of Hybrid is on the calendar and it is indeed a daunting task. We   know there is no template for moving forward - not neat little grid where we can fill in the boxes - no clear cut roadmap.   Several staff members shared the following concerns: Can we keep students socially distant in our spaces with our current resources? Will my current class list go to the wayside after I just spent a month building camaraderie?  Will teaching assignments be shifted to different grades? different schools?  How do I protect the vulnerable people in my life? Is there a concrete statistic that will be using to make the call on staying remote, going hybrid, and going back r...

So where are we at in the middle of September?  Where are you at in the middle of September? I venture that we are questioning certain aspects of our school day and feeling good about other parts.  One of the biggest concerns for me is the gnawing concern about our youngest students.  Primary grade kids are participating well but will they learn to read etc through zoom lessons?   One thing I'm feeling good about is the presence of students. I love seeing the few kids who are in the building. How did it happen that these few kids were brought into school?  It happened because their educators insisted on it.  Caroline along with Kim made it happen for the kids in their structured classroom.  They knew their kids would be frozen, even regress, without spending in person learning time with them.  So, Caroline sent out a survey to her parents before school even started asking for their comfort level with having their kids in the building. Next, C...

Another week under our belts.  I’ve continued my journey into classroom zooms and have been impressed with what I’ve seen.  It’s inspiring to think how far we've come in such a short amount of time.  But, one glaring missing component in my observations in this virtual world is “learning with others”.  If the kids were in person, I would see students learning and interacting with their peers all over the school;  hearing teachers say “turn and talk to your partner about XYZ” was just as common as hearing the lunch bells. Recess, lunch, Friday fun time, classroom parties, and so on were times where students were able to socialize with each other without teachers orchestrating the dialogue of the group. Interacting with peers is a huge deal in the elementary setting.  Students need to “click” and make friends with the other students in their class.  The skills we learn from forming friendships in elementary school lay the foundation of how we relate to o...

Another week has come and gone.   Last spring when the end of the school year was in sight, virtual learning seemed more manageable. Now -we see no definite end in sight. It’s a new ballgame on a different playing field, and we don’t know what inning we are in. But we are showing up each day for each other and for our kids.  It’s obvious to me that we are getting our footing.   I went into Tyler and Rosemary’s classroom this week to get a deeper understanding of the complexity of our new way of teaching. By sharing what I saw, I hope you might gather some insight that may help you with the dynamics of virtual learning. Connection: They begin with a “Good Morning” greeting - greeting each student as they pop into the zoom. When announcing each individual student, they referred back to a personal tidbit that the student shared earlier in previous days: for example, “Sean, how is your dog, Rubble?”   Student Behavior Expectation: Students were reminded ...

We have begun!  And, full steam ahead!  So much sound “stuff”, staff.  We are charting our path forward, and we will need to monitor our path and adjust our focus and our directions.  All of us know that.  We must give our time and space to learn how best to teach our students virtually.  ISBE recommends that districts strive to provide students with at least 2.5 hours of “synchronous” learning with real time instruction and interaction between students and teachers.  We need to break down the meaning of the word “synchronous”.  I am taking a broad definition of their recommendation - that is, we need to put on our teacher hats and know that much of what you will be doing with your students - e.g. mini lesson on key concepts along with student interaction around the concept and students applying the main concept independently - all examples of synchronous learning.  Let’s not get stressed out and hung up on spending 2.5 hours of our day direc...

Rebecca and Nicola have worked since the beginning of the year to manage the behavior of one of their more challenging students.   As is often the case, a co-taught classroom offers additional support and focus that is not available if a teacher is working solo. Rebecca and Nicola realized that because Rebecca had built a stronger rapport with the student, Rebecca would work on a protocol to address the student’s needed behavioral skills in order that he and all the students moved forward.  From my perspective, Rebecca’s early path with this particular student was rocky. Early on, she approached any misbehavior with positive reinforcement type comments - possibly because she was coached by colleagues that this approach had worked with Jayden in the past.  But she could see that misbehavior continued and this approach was communicating to Jayden that his behavior was ok - which it wasn’t; perhaps, he somehow viewed that she had low expectations of him - and so he...

The district professional development on “Trauma-Informed Teaching Approaches” provided us some insight into a deeper understanding of our most challenging kids.  The first and most important take a-way from this approach is that the kid who’s pushing against you is probably the kid who needs you the most.  This is the kid who has somehow internalized “I’m bad”  “I’m not good enough” and often these kids come to us with a history of manipulation, coping mechanisms meant to cover up inadequacies, attention getters that aren’t socially appropriate, and on and on.  These are not bad kids – they are kids with serious needs.  The first big commandment of this trauma understanding reminds us:  Build a relationship with these students . They need to know the teacher likes and respects them, because many of them have not been able to trust authority figures...

The following quote is from Sam Ewing, a former baseball player, who knows how hard work shapes a person:   “Hard work spotlights the character of people: Some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all.” Well our janitors showed up this summer! Hats off to you, janitors - you did the heavy lifting of fixing broken “stuff”, moving big and little pieces, relocating entire sections, disinfecting what needs to be disinfected, dusting high and low places, putting a gleaming “spit shine” on almost every inch of the building!   And, even though we weren’t here to notice - we are noticing and appreciating all of it now. Teachers are commenting on how their classrooms are put back together – with furniture in desired spots!   Crew, do you know how much a teacher values just that?   Teachers have to create displays, plan lessons, organize materials and more; they value all that you do in terms of getting the physical c...