Collecting our Stories

I read this article today about how an Arkansas teacher connected with his students during the shutdown of his school.  He used many of the same tools we used.  Zoom, Flipgrid, Facetime reading conferences, etc.  He ended the article with this:

We will emerge from this crisis as stronger teachers.
To be a teacher is to be at the heart of so many families’ daily lives, year after year. The ways we’re connecting with students right now—to help make sure they’re learning at home and know they are loved—will be important in future years, too.

Most of us are becoming more adept with digital tools and using them in new ways. We’re gaining windows into our children’s physical homes and home lives in ways we haven’t before. We will all come out on the other side of this crisis as more caring, more connected teachers as a result.

Whether we build stronger partnerships with families, use Zoom to connect with kids who have been out sick for multiple days, or just remember to take nothing for granted, what we are learning during this pandemic will help us better serve kids throughout the rest of our careers. That will be true whether we’re loving our students from a few feet away or from a distance.

What have you learned during the pandemic that will help you serve kids throughout the rest of your career?  Please let me know by filling out this Google Form.