And just like that, we are almost at the end of the year. For close to two decades now, I’ve noticed that right around this time of year, the kids start a countdown to the end of the school year. That is when I start keeping a countdown until next year (we have 115 days until the first day of school next year)! Initially I did it just to spite them, but over the course of years, it has become the truth. I can’t wait until next year! Especially this year.
Here is what distance learning has taught me –
1. Kids are resilient and are capable of more than we give them credit for.
2. Several students have absolutely thrived being isolated from the drama of their peers.
3. Several students have absolutely disappeared and stopped turning in work because they aren’t seated in my room every day.
4. I am not smarter than a third or fifth grader. Their math is hard. Their work is challenging. I don’t know how parents who aren’t working from home have been able to do it.
5. Self-motivated students will learn without their teacher or even in spite of their teacher, but no form of technology will ever top a passionate, caring, skillful teacher leading and guiding students in a lesson. (When I asked my two little ones, who both have excellent teachers by the way, if they preferred distance learning or regular class, they both shocked me and said they preferred distance learning. My daughter, a total overachiever, said she likes it because she can learn at her own pace quickly and can get all of her work done in a couple of hours).
6. I miss the classroom culture of room 205.
7. I miss interacting with kids in the hallway and at lunch.
8. School is much more than lessons and athletics for students.
9. I hate Zoom.
10. How we do school has to change. Do students really need so much seat time? What routines can we trim from our day to make us more effective? How can we allow students to ‘binge’ more content and move more rapidly than we currently allow? And grading . . . but that is another total topic for another day.
I’d love to hear what distance learning has taught you! What did I miss? Let me know. And thanks to all of you who do reach out and give me feedback and share content. I so appreciate it.
Inside this week’s Teaching Thoughts, you’ll find –
The World is a Fine Place and Worth Fighting For – your inconvenience doesn’t give you a right to be ignorant and offensive. The story owners and the shoppers who called these jack-wagons out are heroes.
Book of the Week- The End of Education by Neil Postman. I re-read this during out trip to Minneapolis last week. I forgot how good this sucker is. Wow. So much content and so many great questions about what is the real purpose (that is what Postman means by “End” in his title) of education.
Here are a couple of my favorite ideas:
· “We could improve the quality of teaching overnight, as it were, if math teachers were assigned to teach art, art teachers science, science teachers English . . . the teacher would be forced to see the situation as most students do, would see things more as a new learner than as an old teacher.”
· “We can improve the quality of teaching and learning overnight by getting rid of all textbooks . . . Textbooks, it seems to me, are enemies of education, instruments for promoting dogmatism, and trivial learning. They may save the teacher some trouble, but the trouble they inflict on the minds of students is a blight and a curse.”
Teaching Thoughts – A couple of my favorite wind up back-to-back. Teaching Thought #165 harkens back to the mantra of our former principal: “Culture eats strategy for lunch.” I reflect on the importance of classroom and school culture and offer a new twist on this idea from Seth Godin – “Culture is strategy.” And I love the idea from Teaching Thought #166 about shooting our sacred cows. This is a core value of Dave Ramsey’s company. There is nothing that undermines culture more than this terrible phrase – “That’s how we have always done things here.” That is a mindless excuse to be average. Ramsey’s company looks to shoot their sacred cows. If you can’t justify why you do something, then give it the ax. There is none of this “Well, we’ve always done it that way so we can’t possibly innovate or change.” Another excuse is “What if everyone wanted to start doing . . . “This often pops up when someone asks a boss or administrator for permission to do something extra. I think the response from admin or a boss should be, “Yes. Give that a try. I wish all my teachers or employers were willing to risk and try something different like this.”
Podcast of the Week- Entreleadership episode 374 – “The Secret of My Success with John C. Maxwell.” Get ready for some absolute professional growth gold. Two huge takeaways – 1. When it comes to self-improvement, stop asking “How long will this take?” Instead, shift that mindset to ask, “How far can I go?” What would your class, your program, your school, your district look like if you did that one little shift in thinking? 2. “If you spend an hour a day for five years focusing on one thing, you’ll become a master at it.” I think as educators too many of us lack confidence. But seriously, I’ve been doing this for 22 years. If I haven’t mastered some skills, then there is no hope for me at all. What are some skills, lessons, activities, or practices that you’ve mastered in the last five years? I’d love to hear and learn from them.
Video of the Week – this is an iconic scene from the film Facing the Giants. I would submit to you that many of us feel overwhelmed and stressed right about now. That’s how I usually feel at the end of each year . . . and that’s without all of this distance learning stuff! If you’re struggling, give this short clip a watch. I hope it gives you some hope and inspiration to believe that we are all capable of so much more.
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