Distance Learning- A Quick and Dirty Review

Distance Learning has been underway for a couple of weeks.  I have seen each of my classes twice on Google Meet.  Here are my thoughts.

1.  The students still crave being with their friends.  They are eager to have side chats and bring back a sense of normalcy in any way they can.  This mimics hallway and lunch room conversation.  Our school is going to plan lunch bunches to create space for students to have regular social interactions with their peers.

2. The students generally are not interested in showing their faces or letting us hear their voices.  About 10% of the students present in the class that show faces and share voices.  This may become more natural as we get more into the virtual classroom.  Based on the article I read about Videoclassism by Taharee Jackson, I am being very aware of requests that I make of my students.  I personally want to see their faces, but I want them to feel safe above all. 

3. Students are willing to ask about their work!  Yay!  The work that I have been giving to students is supposed to take 1.5 to 2 hours.  I usually have three or four activities.  Last week, students asked about the assignment related to the essential questions. They needed clarification and we were able to work through the material together.  I am so glad that they feel safe in this space. 

I think that overall, given the circumstances, this is all going pretty well.  I do want to see my students.  I miss them so much.  Currently, Maryland has only cancelled school until May 15th, but with 42/50 states being closed to the end of the year, it is likely that it's coming. 

The next thing that we need to figure out is how we will honor our 8th graders.  We are planning a slide show and maybe we'll show it during a virtual ceremony. 

Until next time!

Virtual Curriculum Planning- Romeo and Juliet

Our eighth-graders are about to begin the Love and Friendship unit, but they will do it at home. This unit is anchored around Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. A classic text that is also in the public domain...this is a no-brainer, right? Wrong.

This would have been my first time teaching Romeo and Juliet, and I was looking forward to it when it was going to be taught in a classroom with my students. Now that we are learning virtually, it feels very different. It feels overwhelming (sensing a theme in my recent posts?). It feels like I won't do the text justice (because there is no way I could). So does that mean we don't attempt it?

My content partner and I have been on video planning sessions for the past few days, and we have been grappling with this decision. Here's where we landed- we will do the iconic balcony scene and a couple of sonnets. Let me tell you our thinking, and as always, you can share your thoughts!

We are pushing work out to our students on a virtual platform on Mondays at 9 a.m. We can utilize a flipped model and provide videos and readings for instruction. Then we have one Google Meet session per class each week. The Google Meets are not mandatory. Students are to be given no more than 1.5 to 2 hours of work per class. In two hours a week of at-home, independent work, we think covering a scene and some sonnets is logical. I do NOT want my eighth-graders to leave middle school without experiencing Shakespeare. However, I also do NOT want to turn my students off by requiring that they tackle too much without in-person support. Shakespeare is intimidating, and we want to create a positive first experience. We know that they will get more exposure in high school, so we are seeing this as a way to generate some excitement.

I am getting ready to plan the first lessons in a four (or five) week mini-unit. The idea is to give a bit of background information about Shakespeare, The Globe Theatre, and any other pertinent context to appreciate and understand the text and time-period. The good news is that there are lots of virtual tools available. My first exciting find is the virtual tour of The Globe. And I'm sure that is just the beginning of a long list of resources that students can utilize.

Remember, our students need to be engaged now more than ever. A great way to engage is by offering choice. Create some parameters, but then let the students go down whatever rabbit hole they find most interesting. Let them become experts and come to the virtual sessions with information to share. It will be infectious and exciting. I hope it all works out the way it looks in my head, with rainbows and unicorns! Just kidding, I'm sure there will be bumps along the way, and I plan on updating you as I continue to experience them.

Stay well and comment below!

Virtual Learning Take One

Today we started virtual learning with our students.  We posted assignments; they went onto Canvas and completed assignments.  Our model has students receiving assignments at the beginning of the week and submitting them by 10 a.m. on Fridays.  Today, within 12 hours, there were over sixty posts on multiple discussion boards.  Next week is when we start Google Meet sessions.  I will meet with each of my classes one time per week.  I can't wait to see their faces, but for now, this will have to suffice. 

Our county decided to put a hold on grading for the moment.  We will close out the third quarter and give the students opportunities to improve upon their grades from previously submitted work, but this new stuff is currently not being graded. 

The students are learning for the sake of learning.  

My job right now is to create the assignments and provide feedback to enhance the learning, but not to provide grades.  This sounds okay in theory, but I ran into a problem today.  I did some math that I failed to do earlier.  I have over 100 students.  I created two discussion boards and two assignments, and that's over 400 assignment submissions.  And my students are obviously eager for this situation, based on all the "hits" I had today to the website.  I am happy that they are ready to learn and participate, but I need to make this more manageable pronto.

So, here's the new plan.  Next week I will provide four activities, but I will only collect and review two of them.  I don't need to check on their guided notes.  I will give them the structure, but they can be responsible for completing notes on their own.  The reality is that virtual school is NOT going to look the same as a brick and mortar school.  In the school building, I would be walking around the room monitoring the students during guided notes.  That is not feasible for a virtual setting. 

Teachers, set yourselves up for success!

Right now we are in the trial and error period.  We are all figuring out what is going to work.  How will we manage the stacks of paperwork that are piling up in our inboxes?  When we see something that isn't working, how are we going to attempt to fix it?  Don't get discouraged by this unfamiliar situation.  Channel High School Musical: "We're all in this together."  Give yourself grace and learn from your mistakes.  Figure out what works and what does not.  Implement change.  And of course, don't forget to maintain your connections and relationships with your students, because that really should be the focus!

In This Weird World, Write it Down!

I read an interesting article by Anne Bromley (UVA) back on March 20th about writing things down.  In this weird world...during this pandemic...write down your thoughts, feelings, joys, and troubles. 

It struck me as such an important idea and one that I have only halfheartedly followed.  

So today I tried something, and I wanted to share it with all of you.  I wrote a letter to my future self!  I actually did this earlier this year as part of a leadership professional development.  We wrote letters to ourselves in September and then read them and reflected on them in March.  This is an extended version of that idea.  You could do this for yourself by writing a letter and sealing it for a designated period of time, or you could utilize a website to help facilitate it.  I used the website https://www.futureme.org/.  On this site, you can write a letter and have it emailed to yourself in 1 year, 3 years, 5 years, or on a specific date of your choice.  I love this activity because it allows you to write and reflect on your present life and then read it at some point in the future.  I chose to send my letter to myself on June 13th of next year, which should be around when next school year ends.  Who knows what the next year will bring in terms of how education "looks."  We are about to start virtual learning, and it is possible that virtual learning will return in some way even into the fall of 2020.  This pandemic is turning our world on its side.  

I am also writing and reflecting by using an app to journal and write my thoughts.  I like the iOS app Day One.  It syncs between my devices and pulls in my Facebook posts, too.  

I want to remember this time.  

This situation is slightly reminiscent of one of my favorite books- Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl.  She was a teenager experiencing something unique and scary.  She had to hide while growing up and living in very close quarters with seven other people.  I know that what we are experiencing is a cakewalk compared to what people all over this world have experienced, but it doesn't make our stories less important to tell.  Write it down now so that in 100 years your grandchildren will have a record of it to share with their children.  You are in charge today of the primary documents of the future.  

So go write.  Share your joys, frustrations, thoughts, feelings.  Share what school looks like.  Share how much TV you're watching or how you are getting your groceries.  

Your story matters!  

In This Weird World, Let's Focus on Relationships and Engagement

We are living in a weird world right now.  It is a world characterized by staying home and covering our faces when we have to go out for essential purposes.  It is also a world that is transitioning to online learning experiences.  My county is calling it the Continuity of Learning model.  We are utilizing Google Meet in order to connect with our students.  We are posting modules containing assignments and discussions on Canvas.  There is so much that I don't understand about this world.

So what am I doing with all of that?

I am supporting my teachers and loving on my students.  

I have been the Teacher Development Liaison since the beginning of this year.  I absolutely LOVE this position because I get to support teachers.  This position specifically works with new/non-tenured teachers, but I have a personal love of technology, so the Covid-19 closure is allowing me to work with ALL teachers!  I have had one-on-one Google Meet sessions with teachers and walked them through their technology woes.  I am helping to solve problems, and it is so much fun!  The trick is how to do this at home while I am with my two littles (2 and 4 years old!).

How are you all handling teaching with your littles?  Give me your tips and tricks.  

I am also sending my students ALL THE LOVE!  I miss them.  I miss the smiles, the laughter, the tears.  I miss the go, go, go of being in a middle school all day, every day.  When will we return to normal?  My father-in-law said something profound the other day.  He said that this is not a "new normal." That is how I am getting through each day.  We do not need to live with this reality forever.  This will never be normal.  I WILL get back to my students and my school, someday!

I have our first module ready- I am currently teaching 8th grade ELA- and we are going to focus on self-care for week-one.  This idea stemmed from the fact that the students are also dealing with this crazy reality in this moment. They need an outlet to talk about what they are experiencing.  They need a safe place to say, "Here's what I've been doing for the past three weeks, and these are the things that are working and not working about it."  Self-reflection will help all of us...especially me!  We are having them make their own memes and then brainstorm some positive "self-care" practices through collaborative discussion boards.  I have high hopes for week-one.  I know that the students are craving time together, and so am I.

Teachers, I implore you to remember this time needs to be about relationships and engagement.  Let's bring our students in as a family and give them an opportunity to re-connect in a safe space.  Show them the LOVE.

Just for fun...here's the meme I created as an example for the assignment:

On another note, my professional life may change soon.  I am interviewing to be an administrator! I will likely be an assistant principal at the middle school level.  I am owning and believing that it will occur next year.  I know that working from home and supporting teachers in these new ways will only make me a stronger administrator, when that day comes.

And until that day comes, I will continue to live in this WEIRD REALITY by supporting my teachers and loving on my students.