Well, as the saying goes “Distance makes the heart grow fonder.” Or let us hope anyway as we got word last evening that later this week we will be going distance due the explosion in cases in not only our county but our school. We just had to cancel our football season due to an outbreak and then the subsequent quarantining.
We will be distance learning through the holidays. It’s not ideal or what any of us wanted, but we have to make the best of it. Truth be told, I’m kind of excited. I struggled so mightily the first time around with distance learning that I can’t wait to do a much better job this time.
Here is hoping this finds you well and adjusting as best you can.
Inside this week’s Teaching Thoughts you’ll find –
The world is a fine place and worth fighting for – I think we all need reminders of this daily. Well, here is one. This is a story about how a young boy beat 900 rivals to design a toilet for astronauts to use. Always remember, innovation comes from crazy places. What do we have the ability to innovate now that we are going distance learning again? I’m worried about how will I transition to not just a digital curriculum but a digital culture in my Zoom classrooms. I have to solve that problem quickly. If anyone has ideas, email me please!
Book of the week – Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink. I came across Willink via several podcasts. He struck me as one of the most intense and honest speakers I’ve ever heard. In this book, he breaks down how to lead by owning your team via owning all of the mistakes and blunders. When you take responsibility for those, not only do you create transparence but you get buy in like no other. And Jocko pulled it off with the Navy Seals!
Teaching Thoughts – My opening teaching thought, number 41, talks about how my 9th grade English teacher, Amy Christianson, changed my life with one assignment. Seriously. I don’t know if I’d be teaching English, let alone typing this newsletter right now, or have a bumper sticker that reads, “I’d Rather Be Teaching,” if it weren’t for Amy’s impact on me. And I know we all have impacts like this on our own students right now!
Podcast of the Week – Life Inspired with John O’Leary, “Be a Change Agent.” This is a conversation with one of the most incredible leaders I’ve ever heard. In fact, I was cleaning the pool last summer when I started listening to it. I had to go back to my car and start taking notes on this guy, Dr. Art McCoy. He is the definition of a leader. If he and Willink ran for office, I’d vote for them in a nanosecond, regardless of their party affiliation!
Video of the Week – This one is awesome. If you don’t get anything else out of the newsletter this week, give this one a watch. It will improve your day and make you think a little more about how we judge those around us. Talk about having work that you love and work that matters!
Thoughts from Twitter – Look at the tweet I captures from Core Heiman. This would be a great idea for a common prep activity, department meeting, or even a great exit slip for your classes.
Give this a try in your classroom – Skitch. I’ve talked about this app before, but it is one I use all the time. It simply lets you annotate images. There’s a version for your phone and your computer. I use it to give immediate feedback to kids – especially with distance learning coming our way – or to just capture information and take notes on it.
I hope you have a great week. If you’re still in person in your school, enjoy it. Don’t take those moments in class and with your students for granted. They might be gone before you know it. If you’re distance, like us, rock the hell out of it. And always, stay safe. As my daughter, Kenzie, said when I broke the distance learning news to her, said, “Geeze! If people would just wear masks and stay home!” Well, she is right. Be well!
Here is the link to this week’s Teaching Thoughts.
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