Yesterday teachers met via a Zoom meeting to share their questions, thoughts, and ideas about school year 2020-2021. Teachers are clearly worried about what one educator described as a 0% to 100% change as we mostly shelter in place during the summer and then, as some have recommended, return to schools filled with 100's of staff and children. Is this the right thing to do during a pandemic that we don't understand well and a pandemic that spreads easily? The more I consider the proposition, the more I realize that an all-in plan for fall of 2020 seems irresponsible and dangerous. I believe we can craft a better plan--the kind of plan that supports multiple needs and a plan that spreads out both the opportunity and sacrifices to all parties. The idea of a phased re-entry appeals to me since we can test the waters before going all-in.
So how does a teacher plan for a school year filled with unknowns?
I've thought a lot about this and will plan a program that can work in any environment. I will begin the year by learning about my students and building a strong teaching/learning community that knows how to access the multiple "intelligent assistants" available to learn. Those "intelligent assistants" include people, tech tools, research sites, books, classmates, and more to help students reach the many learning goals that we'll work together to achieve throughout the year. Fortunately, we have good tech tools available as well as a staff of amazing educators with a varied expertise.
While I'm sure that I won't be in agreement with all plans, I feel confident that final plans will be mostly safe and positive for teachers and students. No one wants to put children, families, or educators in harm's way and everyone knows that quality learning serves children well. With that in mind, I'll give my typical 50-70 hours a week to support the children in my charge by following safe learning/teaching protocols, building a strong teaching/learning community with students and grade-level colleagues, and teaching well.
In the meantime, I'll work with colleagues, local/state unions, and school system administrators and colleagues to craft and carry out a good plan.