This is our sixth week of virtual school. We had a one week vacation, so it has been seven weeks since we started remote teaching and learning. As I reflect on this, I notice similarities to school as we know it and differences.
Similar to real school, I find the need to coach myself forward every morning. Whether you are online with students, families, and colleagues or offline, you have to muster the focus, strength, knowledge, and skill needed to promote a positive education every day. For me, that means morning reflection and review about the day's challenges ahead.
Today, the teaching challenges and opportunities include the following:
- Teaching fraction operations to small groups of math students throughout the day
- Troubleshooting and planning with grade-level colleagues about issues related to specific students, curriculum areas, and projects planned.
- Preparation for next week's lessons
- Completing and distributing the weekly grade level newsletter to families, students, and colleagues.
To do this well demands a positive attitude, work space/tech preparation, lesson prep/review, and lots of good energy to efficiently, responsively, and effectively complete these efforts. Onward.