A New Era for Teaching...

If someone had told me that I would be teaching totally online for the rest of the Spring semester, I would not have believed them.  I do teach online for two universities, so it's not that I am a stranger to the format, but taking away the f2f opportunities of students in a hands-on future teacher program just wasn't in my wheelhouse.  As a result, I and my colleagues, who teach at a career center embedded in design thinking and project and profession-based learning, have had to re-think the way we interact with students who are also having a difficult time dealing with the change.

I feel for my seniors who lament that they are missing their proms and graduation parties, but I also see this as an opportunity for them (and us) to put things in perspective.  Missing a grad party seems minuscule compared to dying from a disease or losing one's financial support for family.  It is time to take a long look at ourselves and the way we manage and execute our daily lives.  My daughter mentioned that she had never seen so many families out doing things together.  While that is true, I fear for those students whose positive vibes were solely provided by their interactions with students and teachers at school.

This is a time when we can reimagine and think of what could be.  Education will likely never be the same after this.  Teachers have learned new techniques and districts have considered scheduling and operational changes.  Let's not let this time spent be wasted but rather used to reinvent ourselves and look forward to change.