Educators thrive when the light bulb moments occur, when students spring into action, and when students have their own curiosity bubbling in the classroom. How do we set the tone so that these wonderful classroom moments can occur more often?
A trendy and probably Pinterest-inspired idea is to buy fewer holiday gifts for your children—often using the catchy phrase, “something you want, something you need, something to wear, and something to read.”
Reading is an activity that we as educators can always rely on as a solid back-up plan.
If we’ve learned nothing else this year, it’s that the word “just” is a four-letter word. “JUST click that and it will…” Or “You JUST need to open it so that you can…” How about “If you JUST scroll over there…”
Everything was going great. My high school basketball team had just won our second consecutive Sectional Championship and the excitement of the team going into the Regional was electric. That week of practice was so intense and competitive since we knew we had a tough challenge ahead in the Lawrence North Wildcats. By Thursday, we had our game plan set in place and were fine-tuning our skills in preparation for Saturday.
March 12 was just like any other day. It was a Thursday, and my staff was doing a Theme Thursday dress-up day. “Wear your favorite basketball team gear” seemed appropriate since it was time for March Madness. I dressed in our high school team colors and wore a button with my son, Dawson Eastes, on it.
Ready or not, the way of learning, working and living has changed for many. Our employers expect us to work, while schools expect us to teach, and our children expect us to entertain them. The way we maneuver through this pandemic will look different for everyone. Here are a few ways I have learned to cope with the reality of becoming a full-time work from home mom…and now a teacher.
When you walk into a teacher’s physical classroom, it’s brimming with personality. From posters of a favorite college or sports team to colorful displays of student work, you can tell a lot about the teacher just by walking into the room.
If I rewind back just four short weeks and one blink-of-an-eye day ago to March 12, I can remember that school day vividly. I was scheduled to host a community shadow from our Corporation Vision 2020. This is a program that has been in place for many years, where community members are invited to come into our schools and witness first-hand what is happening inside our walls.
An unexpected box of Oreos, Doritos, Party Pizzas, and Peanut Butter M&M’s all make their way into my cart. Not one of these items was on my list and, while delicious, are not things that I’ll feel good about eating. We’ve all walked into the grocery store hungry and know that feeling of giving in to temptation all too well. In these uncharted times of remote learning, we are asked to design for learning and instruction in ways we’ve never done before, and because of this… We, as educators, are all very hungry.
