Flying Off a Cliff

My friends, we have been pushed off a cliff into our current digital teaching, haven't we? Not by anyone being unkind, of course. This pandemic and its timeline were not anticipated by educators. But here we are, at our respective homes, in our respective bunny slippers, worrying about our respective students, trying to figure out our respective tech problems. 

But as we have pretty much settled in, I know that most of us have seen some silver linings in digital teaching. 

Other than our bunny slippers and our lack of commutes. 

I have seen some of you SOAR with your digital teaching -- not like the guy falling off the cliff, but like the superhero flying  off the mountain that you all are (even when you don’t feel like it) 

There are things I know you all have discovered that you love in digital teaching. 

• Maybe it’s DBQ Online
• Maybe it’s having kids use the chat to collaborate
• Maybe it’s stepping down the kids’ workloads
• Maybe it’s virtual field trips
• Maybe it’s Canva for student projects
• Maybe it’s letting go of “right there” questions. 
• Maybe it’s Flipgrid for engaged student responses
• Maybe it’s leaning into the social and emotional side of teaching
• Maybe it’s Safari Montage for safe Youtube viewing
• Maybe it’s some cool resource you’ve discovered you can’t live without. 
• Maybe it’s something else entirely! 

Whatever it is, do me two favors. (please)

First, tell me what is your favorite thing about digital teaching (bunny-slippers-wise AND ALSO teaching-wise). Send me email, chat me, or whatever. I’m not going anywhere, either. 

Second, make a digital note for yourself. And start thinking about how you can use that thing you like from the NOW, from digital teaching when you go back in the physical classroom in the fall. How can you use Flipgrid or digital chats or Canva or whatever? 

Let’s start thinking now about the things we are learning to love about digital teaching -- the ways we are all GROWING as teachers from digital teaching -- and how we don’t pack those great teaching moments away with our bunny slippers when August comes around. Let’s bring our great digital teaching “finds” to school with us and keep those things rolling, just like we’ll keep the hand sanitizer rolling. 

Although I don’t think I will pack my bunny slippers away completely. I am in LOVE with my bunny slippers. 

I know some weeks you think you’re drowning. Some weeks your kids think they’re drowning. 

You’re not drowning and you can make yourself “drown less” (if that’s a thing). 

Remember you are only supposed to be giving 2-3 activities per week that are 20-30 minutes long, right? This is not brick-and-morter-school. Life and school are drastically different. This is hard. We aren’t supposed to be stressing out the students which in turn stresses out the parents which stresses out the administrators which stresses out the teachers! The solution to a lot of the stress (but certainly not all of it) is to give kids (and ourselves) less work.

Slow down. You don’t have an exam. Your kids won’t die if they don’t cover a benchmark as thoroughly as they usually do. Make it fun. Keep it fun, so they keep learning for the next month. 

And then, tell me and make a note for yourself about what worked well and what you can take back to your classroom. 

Hang in there, team. It’s almost May!  And this summer, we can all... hang around our houses some more? 

Anyway, email me and let me know what’s working for you about digital teaching! Like you miss your students, I miss my colleagues! Have a great week! 

-Tracy