I am a teacher. I've been honing my craft for over 20 years. There isn't much that can shake me up. No matter how disastrous a lesson becomes once delivery begins, I can dig into my tool kit, hammer out something useful, and find a teachable moment. Generally speaking, teachable moments cannot be planned for and can happen at any point in a lesson. When recognized, these small moments of opportunity can be seized upon and used to offer greater insight to our students. They can be shaped to take the worse situations or missteps and craft them into useful knowledge our students can use as they grow into young adults.
Right now, we are living in a teachable moment.
When this school year began one of my goals was to complete the year in my temporary classroom (due to a construction project) and head back to my home school for the following year and beyond. At this point, I have scrapped that plan, hammered out what is useful, and have realigned my goals.
I went back to basics. What are the minimum requirements needed to get through this? How can I scale back all the superfluous nonsense and get to the core of what is important?
My goals the past two weeks.
1. Deliver Instruction
2. Keep My Family Healthy
You may have to scrap your lesson plan as well. With distance learning and digital platforms being the main modes of communication and instruction, I offer the following pearls of wisdom to help you navigate this new normal and get back to basics.
FOR YOUR STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES
We are teachers. We are wired to help our students through any situation that arises. Our current situation is no different. However, there are small things you can do to keep things focused and streamlined for everyone.
Connect to Your Students
We have lost the daily greeting at the door. Create a way to connect with your students. For me, I (finally) started my YouTube channel. I used the free one included in my district Google account. Every morning I hold the Morning Announcements at 9:00 am. It gives the students a chance to see and hear me. It is also a nice way to give them a structure for starting their day as well as keeping them updated on changes in Google Classroom.
My class and I will be moving to video conferencing. I look forward to meeting as a whole group and in small groups. There is definitely some comfort in being able to interact in real time with one another. As with YouTube, it will be new for me but I am willing to go through the growing pain because I know the payout will be well worth it.
Make some phone calls. You know who isn't logging in. You know which students are going to need more support than ever before. They need to hear your voice. They need to know you are still there for them. Call them.
Use What They Already Know
Unless it is something vital (such as a video conferencing app), I highly recommend that you do not start a new platform with your students. There is a lot of frustration and confusion for both students and families. Another new "thing" could push people to logoff and stay off. Stick to what your students are most comfortable with right now. If it is a website that requires credentials, have a master list ready. It doesn't matter if your students have been using it all year; someone will ask for their password. Promise.
Once everyone has had some time to adjust, then maybe you can add in something new. Also, if you are confident that you're delivering instruction digitally for only a couple of weeks, consider whether it is worth the effort and frustration of introducing and navigating your class through a new platform. The more familiar you can keep things, the easier it will be for everybody.
Practice the 24 Hour Rule
There may come a time when a student or parent makes a hurtful comment. Let it go. For the vast majority of hurtful comments directed at you, you are experiencing the brunt of people's frustrations over a situation they cannot control. The unknown and the disruption to their family schedules has some people working with a very short fuse. Don't ignite it.
For some, that means re-focusing the discussion in a helpful, productive way. For others, it means you don't respond to the email or message. The 24 hour rule before pushing "send" needs to be in play more than ever before.
FOR YOU
We are teachers. But we are parents and spouses and caregivers too. Do not lose sight of the other hats you wear. And, don't lose sight of you.
Stick to Your Official Day and Office Hours
If your district has determined work hours and/or office hours, stick to those times. It is important to set a precedent for the students and families.
If you are expected to work until 4:00 pm and a student logs in at 4:20 pm, it is not your responsibility to stay online and help. Students and families need to know the times you are available and respect those boundaries.
Of course, there are exceptions. As a professional, you can determine the individual needs of your students.
I know teachers work nights and weekends to complete tasks that cannot be done during contractual hours. This is not the same situation. Your brain will need a break. Your eyes will need a break.
The past two weeks have been the most exhausting two weeks I have ever taught; and we're just getting started.
Set clear boundaries now and get into a habit of shutting down your day at the designated time.
Clean Something
Spring cleaning has taken on a whole new meaning. I was pleasantly surprised by the feelings of accomplishment and completion as I checked off household chores. Folding laundry, changing sheets, dusting, vacuuming...they all helped me feel some closure at a time when there is no end in sight.
I spent my first weekend getting my house in order. I couldn't control what was going on in the world of education but I could make sure my house was organized and refreshed for the long haul that we face with social distancing and self-quarantine.
We don't know when this will be over. But, I do know my laundry is caught up and the bathrooms are clean. The small chores I finish help me to get up and put on my Teacher Hat each morning. It clears my head to stay focused on school responsibilities.
Get Moving
Fresh air does wonders. After a day of sitting and working on a computer screen, your body needs a change. The movement, the air, (hopefully the sun) will give you a break from the monotony of being seated and typing all day.
Elementary teachers are built to move around during the day. We are up and down, we are up front and in the back, we rarely sit. Make sure you remind your body that although we may need to be seated for longer stretches of time than it's used to, we will get it moving again. Plus, it helps get that step count up!
If you don't head outside, find other ways to move. Create an avenue to get your blood moving and keep your muscles and joints from getting stiff.
It's OK to Cry
I was pedal to the medal the first week. I had described to a colleague that I felt and looked like I had been on a 3-day bender. I was working from before the sun rose into the darkest hours of the night. By Friday, I had an emotional breakdown. I sat in my kitchen sobbing by myself trying to grapple the emotional and physical turmoil I was going through. I have had emotional moments in education. This was no comparison. I had been holding my emotions in all week and the reality came crashing down in a deluge of frustration, sadness, anger, uncertainty, worry...all of it.
After a few minutes of ugly crying and sobbing, as well as some comfort from my pup, I felt better. It felt cathartic to cry. I didn't realize how much I had been holding in. Your emotions will find their way out. Don't hold them in. Let them out. Own it for a few minutes. Then, wipe your face and get back to the task at hand.
Find Emotional Balance
So, how to I keep emotions in check? I find my funny to balance out the sadness. I had been wanting to binge The Office for a couple of years. I admit that I had not seen a single episode although I knew a lot of the jokes and memes associated with the show. I decided now was the time to connect all the dots. Once my day is over, I watch a few episodes and laugh. The relief has been good for me.
Find the things that bring you balance. Engage in the activities that give you peace and center your soul. That could mean reading, crafting, video chatting with people, bathtub soaks, exercise, puzzles. Whatever you need to stay in a positive mindset, do it. Make it a priority. It will help balance out the negative.
Our Teachable Moment
We are teachers. We are built for adapting to the unknown. We are the masters of flying by the seats of our pants. We can take a disaster of a lesson plan that looked good on paper and use our tools to turn it into the most memorable teachable moment for our students. In fact, that's a bit of what we're doing right now.
Education has never looked like this. This isn't something that we planned for or could predict; but we are doing it. So grab your tool kit and get your hammers ready.
We are teachers. And this is our teachable moment.