First week of school was interesting! The first day was great! We met all of our students, overcame the technical issues, saw the faces of students and felt joy! I know you were ready for it. Excited even. So were they.
By the end of Friday, the excitement was gone! After the first week marathon was over, you were exhausted! I heard you comment on how difficult the day had been and how you saw the students struggle
attention by the end of the day, despite the fact that we finish by 12:30. The email chain about the exhaustion you were feeling was quite descriptive as well...and confirmed that we might have the funniest staff around!
This is not the way the first week of meeting your students is supposed to feel!
I received an email Friday afternoon from a grandma of one of our Wolves. She is hosting her grandson during the learning hours of the day and as a former educator, she is happy to do so. However, she saw first hand what the week did to her grandson. Despite her efforts to make sure he got up and moved around during the breaks between classes, and making him a snack part way through the day, she said that by 6th period he had "lost his enthusiasm and focus".
This is not the way the first week of middle school is supposed to go!
We can blame it on Zoom...or whatever video conferencing platform you are using. It's really hard to talk to a group with no feedback, no way to really read their body language, no way to see all the students on one screen, no way to gauge what is "going in" and what isn't.
As a student, it is difficult to feel seen and valued in a session with so many others. It is hard to just "sit and get" for so many hours in a row, and it is difficult to focus on the new information coming at you every half hour.
But "blame" is not enough. The exhaustion from Friday is not something we should be okay with. This is not the time to "suck it up" or "deal with it" or "gear up for it". We are in a time of forced change in education. So I say, if it isn't working, then stop it! Fix it. Rethink it. If we feel like quitting, then the students are feeling it too. Let's quit trying to do school the way we always have, and figure out how to do this better! Time to quit what doesn't work and come at this from another angle.
Too exhausted to figure out how to fix it? Not sure how to make short zoom sessions valuable to students? Don't know where to start to teach students content without a whiteboard? Unsure of what would work better to keep students thinking and learning, but not overwhelm and exhaust them? Here's a few ideas:
1). Ask your amazing peers! We have always known collaboration is key to student success. It is even more important right now, as we find ourselves in uncharted waters. Set aside a time to connect each week and don't just vent (although we need time to commiserate too). Include these two topics each time you meet:
What are two things you tried this week that worked well?
What is one thing you tried this week that you'd like to improve (and that the team might be able to help you with)?
2) Ask your awesome students! Your students have ideas that might just work. They have been sitting at home for months and most want a challenge, a chance to do "something" different. They want to show what they know, what they are good at, how well they can do. And they still want to impress you. So ask them a few questions:
What activities do you hope we do during class?
What do you enjoy the most in live sessions?
What could I do that would help you learn better?
George Couros said, "Students who feel valued in the present are empowered to grow now and in the future. The experience provided by the adults in schools is always the beginning of something, not the end." (Innovate Inside the Box, p.21). There is no better way to value students than to give them a voice in their own learning.
As we head into another week of distance learning, remember our three rules this year:
1) It's okay to try new things.
With your team on your side, you can take on new challenges together.
2) Doing what is best for kids is still our goal
Sometimes students are the ones who know best what works for them
3) Give grace...to your students and yourself.
If something is not working, it's okay to rethink it, instead of pushing forward.
Be you this week.
You are enough.
Kim
Great food for thought! Thank you for your writing and what you do to encourage educators.