The last nine weeks

Well, somehow, we made it. We left school for spring break, and we never went back. Yet somehow, we did finish out the school year. Academics, tedious curriculum, and testing took a back seat, while connection, technology, and problem solving took a front seat.

We still continued with academics, but at a much slower pace. We still followed curriculum, but not to the level of detail that we do at school. We still added a small bit of testing, that which could be done online without a bunch of protocol to follow. So our kids lost nine weeks of the minute to minute structure, which included a ton of testing they missed out on at the end of the year. Some kids fell further behind, while others soared far ahead due to the new way of learning in a home environment. Some became tech savvy, while others just gave up when a certain video or assignment didn't open for them. But as I told my kids, no matter what was lost, we all gained new problem solving skills and life lessons through this that will follow us much further than nine weeks of academics and testing would have. That's my personal view in all of this, and I'm sticking to it.

Now, that doesn't mean you won't hear me groaning and whining at the beginning of next year when my next group comes to me falling far short of the bar that students normally come to second grade able to achieve. There's going to be a lot of mental preparation necessary before start of the year, but that's over two months away, so I'm dismissing those thoughts and concerns for now. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

This was a learning experience for all involved. For the kids. The parents. The teachers. And all of our administrators, superintendents, and those making critical decisions for the entire educational system.

What I learned, first and foremost, is that connection comes before anything else. My kids needed to know that I cared, that I supported them, that I believed in them, and that I was cheering them on. That's why I never ended a single daily video announcement for them without telling them that I loved them and missed them. I wasn't just a teacher giving and collecting assignments. I was the person guiding them so they could continue to learn, despite all the obstacles in front of them.

I also learned the importance of setting up an organized system to contact all parents with a single message at a moment's notice. I didn't stay on top of getting that system down while at school, so the first two weeks of this crisis, I lost a lot of critical time just trying to contact families and get all my parents on the same page. I learned my lesson and will make sure to establish that system of contact perhaps even before the first day of school from now on.

Another main lesson learned was that I dragged my feet way too long getting my kids more plugged in to digital resources. Yeah, we used IPADS and chromebooks several times a day to work on specific programs, but I didn't use it to let them actually create and record their work, find their voice, etc. Now that I've been teaching digitally for the last nine weeks, I realized just how powerful and useful technology can be in the educational world, as well as how much time it can save. My quieter kids found a voice, a voice that I, myself, as a quieter student, would have been able to thrive with. I will not complain one bit about being able to grade papers and post daily announcements from my phone rather than having to lug a bag of germy papers with messy work home every night to grade and find stickers for. That's not to say there's not a need for paper and pencil, but I know now that there are so many other options out there.

I also dragged my feet in staying up to date with computer systems, so I decided to use this time to learn and play with all things Google in order to get my Level 1 Educator certification. I went through the multiple hours of module trainings, played around with all the different aspects of Google Drive (Forms, Sheets, Sites, Docs, Slides, Calendar, etc.), putting the test off as long as possible. I finally blocked out the required three hours to take the test and was still ready to beat myself up for how slowly I found myself working through all the assignments they had me set up and work through. I realized quickly that I wasn't as prepared as I thought, having to google how to do almost everything they asked! LOL. I didn't even reach the end of the test before my time ran out, so I assumed I failed and would need to practice and play around quite a bit more before paying for the test again and taking it again. However, I must have done okay on what I did finish because I got my certification! What a relief and an accomplishment! I'm so thankful I took the time to learn because it really does make working online so much easier and more efficient!

So now my summer plan is to keep playing around with my new technological knowledge, getting myself more comfortable for an unknown future ahead that is bound to be much more virtual and technological than ever before. Perhaps I'll start working through the training modules for my Level 2 certification now that I see how much the time really pays off in the end.

I signed up to teach a morning Bible study this summer, assuming it would draw a smaller, more intimate crowd as a morning study usually does. However, we found out that as of now, all of our summer studies will be done virtually, so now I look forward to putting my digital teaching experience and newfound knowledge in practice doing what I love to do, guiding women in their relationship with the Word of God. I'm a little nervous, as I was looking forward to a small group, but I have a feeling that a virtual study may end up drawing a bigger crowd than I'm used to. I just started the study on my own and am really looking forward to leading it. My friend wrote the study and my mom and I got to be part of the taping, so this will be a first to see myself in the videos! I like knowing that the author is a friend, so if I have any questions or need deeper clarification on anything, I can just send her a quick message and ask. :)

So, rather than hopping on a plane to go somewhere far, far away or sending my son on a bus to go to camp far, far away, this summer will be spent mostly at home, still in front of a computer quite a bit. When not in front of my computer in my little corner, you can probably find me out on my porch enjoying a good book, writing a poem or two, digging deep into Bible study, and drinking more coffee than I should. If I'm not there, I'll be on my bike exploring with David. Oh, and once we know it's safe to be out and about, I'll meet my mom for chai at a local coffee shop. :)

Truly, though, I needed these last nine weeks. I found myself spread so thin this particular school year. Every minute seemed to be accounted for at school, to the point that anyone who just wanted to take a few minutes of my time to talk would throw me into a tizzy. I kept my door shut at all times just to protect my time and my need to finish things in a certain time. I've always been the quieter, keep to myself kind of teacher, but I don't remember feeling so selfish and protective of my time, even when I was in the middle of an adoption process! These last nine weeks were very healing and restoring to soul. I slept till seven almost every day, and I hung out on my porch for at least two to three hours every morning just soaking up the quiet (and the choir of birds all around me). I learned how to be still again, and I cherished this time. Personally, it was just what I needed.