In the post-covid world of education we are finding that teachers have gone from being locked out to burned out, and now many are afraid of being punched out. Our students and our teachers have been through incredible stresses at home personally, financially, and relationally. We have seen first hand that more students are acting out behaviorally, and teachers feel increasingly vulnerable in both the classroom and the staffroom. In the state of Wyoming, where I am currently teaching, a recent state-wide poll revealed that an alarming 65% of the state’s teachers would leave teaching if they could. I have the honor of working with some of the very best educators I have known in my nearly three decades in education, but many of them would now be counted in that statistic. Schools across the country are understaffed and struggling to fill teaching positions with certified teachers. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in March of 2022, nearly half of public schools reported full or part-time teaching vacancies. We already know that 44% of teachers leave the profession in the first five years, but recent statistics show larger numbers of teachers leaving the profession due to burnout, low
Grasping for My Groove
We have all said it, heard it, know it. The past year has been a wild ride. Nothing is normal; everything has shifted. While I have navigated the crazy with my students, I find I am beginning to feel increasingly unsettled by this season rather than adapting to it. Things that have been important to me over the years as an educator and in my own personal growth have had to be put aside. There just is not enough time or energy remaining at the end of the day to push my own personal boundaries, to look for new opportunities and inspiration, to network with other educators who share my passions, and to grow myself professionally according to my pedagogical convictions. The limitations of pandemic protocols have made it more difficult to meet with fellow educators, to be energized through collaboration, and to simply be encouraged swapping stories of the day in the lunchroom. I expected it at the beginning of the pandemic last spring, but I did not anticipate it would last this long. We have figured out how to push through, to continue turning the cogs of the wheels of learning in our classrooms, whether in-person, hybrid, or
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The C-Word
Technology is just a tool, not a teaching method. Just as in building a house, the tools alone won’t build a sound structure. The blue-prints, well-laid plans, forethought and skill are necessary to achieve the end goal. The same resourcefulness and expertise that made great teachers before Covid-19 remain essential.
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All Screens Are Not Created Equal
As an educator in a 1:1 classroom, I have had many conversations about screen time. Parents are concerned about the amount of time their students spend in front of a screen rather than with books or other materials in their hands. I can empathize. I was one of those parents that limited my children’s television time to one program per day for years. I didn’t allow video games in our home with the exception of a Wii that had the kids up and active during play. This time of remote learning due to the pandemic has made parent concerns about screen time even more acute. While parenting today does require taking a serious look at the time your child spends in front of a screen, we must remember that screen time is like calories. They aren’t all created equal. Binge-watching The Office or playing Call of Duty, the metaphorical candy bar, is not the same as being engaged with classmates in a research project or learning about how to do math equations with a quality tutorial. Students today are using computers to expand their minds, connect and collaborate with other students and experts, and express their own ideas creatively with
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Picturing the Pandemic
During this unprecedented time in our history of school closures and stay-at-home orders, students have the opportunity to create their very own primary source documents. Photo journaling integrates technology into our writing standards while encouraging creativity and critical thinking. Students must determine what photographs would capture the essence of this historical event and then incorporate their narrative or expository writing skills to incorporate appropriate captions and tell the rest of the story that the photographs leave out. “Photo journaling integrates technology into our writing standards while encouraging creativity and critical thinking.” We are teaching a range of students right now. Issues of equity are at the forefront of many of our minds. We aim to meet the academic needs of our students equitably, but many of our students and parents are looking for more. This idea can easily be incorporated into our digital classrooms as an optional enrichment activity or as an engaging alternative to traditional writing assignments. Using one of the many online journal apps or digital scrapbooks, Office365 apps, or Google apps, your students can creatively engage their minds while noting the significance of this moment in their lives. Read more to see the lesson plan.
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I’m a teacher. I’m a mother. I’m a mess.
Let’s be real, people. Balancing home life and work as a teacher has always been a challenge. There is always more to do: grading to finish, lessons to rework, students needing reteaching and greater differentiation. Of course, there are also dinners to prepare, kids’ games to cheer on, laundry to fold, and memories to make. In the current era of remote teaching and learning, the balance can be even harder to strike. The tensions between work and home are heightening as we try to establish boundaries to protect our home life and our sanity while meeting responsibilities toward our students. So what is the secret? My family will certainly attest that I have yet to master this completely. They graciously tell me they admire my work-ethic. This is code for, “Good gravy, Mom, you’re still working?” While I appreciate their diplomacy, I am not ignorant of the issue. That is the first step, right? Admitting you have a problem? While a 12-step program might not exactly be in order, I’ve developed a five-step approach for finding balance during remote learning that is helping me through. Step 1- Acknowledge these are indeed crazy times, and forgive yourself for the imperfect way
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We Are Teachers, We Rise
We are definitely on rough seas right now. We need to batten down the hatches and be ready to throw one another a lifeline. When the storm has passed, as it is sure to do, will you look back and see the opportunity for growth that you embraced or an opportunity wasted?
