Teaching this year is full of flexibility, pivots, and transitions. Thanks to great advice from a teacher and author I really respect, I have been able to prioritize and navigate these transitions with three priorities as touchstones. These three priorities have kept me afloat when I feel overwhelmed with the tasks ahead and they are priorities I will carry with me always.
When I started the year, virtually, I knew that building a community of learners was so important to me but I was scared to be coming into family’s homes. The grace and acceptance my learners’ families showed me was overwhelming. I was put at ease to begin building the relationships that were so important to me. We frequently were eating breakfast together, talking about our favorite cereals, donuts and eggs. Then I started asking for family favorite recipes, making them and bringing them to class to eat and talk about with everyone, the kids loved it and so did I.
Another thing I did during virtual learning, everyday, was read aloud. I intentionally chose books to represent the kids in my community, giving students the opportunity to see themselves and their friends in our books. When I gave the students our first survey about how virtual learning was going, read aloud was mentioned over and over! Through read aloud we studied identity. I used Sara Ahmed’s book, Being the Change, to help us learn about our own identity and the identity of others. Our class was becoming a community of learners!
Just as I was catching my stride in virtual learning and finding that beautiful place in the school year, PIVOT! Our board voted to return to school with a concurrent teaching model. I didn’t know what to do. Thankfully, at the same time, Sara Ahmed, author of Being the Change, tweeted out a gracious offer for support. Her simple advice to take what I cherish from virtual teaching and bring that with me into concurrent teaching gave me focus and helped me feel less overwhelmed.
I clung to the community we had built, and our love for food. Out of this grew a wild bread project that I continue to watch grow and impact my class. I also kept read aloud as central part of our classroom, we read a lot of great picture books to provide windows, mirrors and doors (Bishop) and a chapter book, Planet Omar Accidentally Trouble Magnet, that encouraged great conversations in our class. Finally, despite teaching on zoom and in person all at once, I tried my best to continue modeling during short mini lessons, providing students with exemplars of what to do in their own work.
Now, as I transition once again, to full time face to face teaching, and I once again am feeling a mix of emotions about bringing to cohorts together, adding new students, and everything that comes with restarting a classroom for a 3rd time this year, I go back to Ahmed’s advice. On Monday, I will carry with me these priorities again. The community we have built will welcome new students and come together in a beautiful way. Our read alouds can finally continue without technical difficulties and we are ready to embrace a new chapter book. And of course, modeling and curating exemplars will continue as we embark on new parts of our bread baking and other learning.
If you feel overwhelmed by the transitions ahead, I urge you to look for a few touchstones that you love about your current practice. As you plan these might serve as a something to help you navigate your way into something you want your classroom to be this year or next.
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