...the Mother of All Invention

Last week I shared a simple thought via Twitter and LinkedIn: even though it is pretty tough to quantify, I can't help but feel as though many of my students are experience a type of learning and growth they would have never fully realized without experiencing our current situation. Thankfully, I received some positive feedback, along with a common addition: tell me more about that - what are you seeing?

So, after thinking about it a little more over the weekend while watching the Vikings fritter away another road game, here are some skills and/or areas I have seen kids grow, learn, and overall rise to the occasion:

Self-Advocacy

I can tell you as a 6th-grade teacher one of the most crucial skills for middle-level students to learn is the art of self-advocacy. Every year, it is one of main growth goals for our students, one of the main talking points with parents at the beginning of the year and at conferences, and one of the universal, transcendent skills all of us educators are looking to foster. In some ways this year is just like any other...some students are further along than others; some students need more support than others; some students will continue to struggle and grow in this area all year and beyond. But what's different this year is more students are developing this skill - growing & learning - at a more rapid pace.

Flexible Thinking

With so in life being tossed upside-down and all around, students are forced to become more flexible, pliable, dynamic thinkers and problem-solvers. Now, they're not alone. Parents are doing more and being challenged in more ways than ever before; juggling work, raising kids, being support staff at home, and managing their own lives! Teachers are adapting, honing, changing, modifying, and updating what we deliver and how we deliver it every day. What's impressed so much about so many of my students is how they have absolutely risen to up to meet the moment. While I do still have a handful of students I worry about and know need support, it's been so incredibly energizing to see the resiliency of so many young people. 

Problem Solving

This is connected with the first two categories. There are so many ways in which my students are demonstrating efficient and effective problem-solving strategies. Organizing their daily schedules to know when each class starts, along with Google Meet information. Working with partners and groups for school work and still completing assignments at a high level of return and quality. Communicating with teachers with any issues/questions/concerns they may have during the day. Navigating digital platforms to find and interact with content. Yes, teachers and staff have put in a ton of work to help with all of these things. Administration and district-level technology and media have done exemplary work as well (ours are amazing!). As stated above, parents have been unbelievable partners throughout everything. That said, I truly need to tip the cap to my students in this area!

Collaboration & Communication

Most kids love to talk. Middle school students are especially gifted at this...especially in loud voices! But meaningful, productive communication can sometimes be hard to come by when we're talking eleven to fourteen year-olds. These past eight to nine months have really forced students to become better email writers, more purposeful speakers in class, and more efficient with their time when working with others. It has challenged me as their teacher to develop more opportunities to not only leverage these skills, but to also practice and build up these skills. It has been very enjoyable to watch students grow in their communication. In some ways it might be unfair they've had to 'grow up so fast' with some of these things, but I know that they will be way ahead of the game down the road. In terms of collaboration, students are constantly working with others, even when it may not seem like it: waiting to speak in a virtual class, listening intently to others so they can add something meaningful to the conversation, understanding the purpose and Why of different roles within groups. 

There is much more I could add. There are also students who are struggling with (very real) issues around mental health, isolation, and barriers around language, unstable home situations, and inequity. For this post, however, I wanted to take a minute and share some sincere appreciation for all the hard work, growth, and real learning so many students are experiencing in the midst of all this madness.

Thoughts & Reflections Approaching Winter Break

Part of the problem with taking a break from consistent writing is it ends up feeling as though I'm trying to time my jump into a fast spinning revolving door. Each separate door frame-sized pane of glass representing a large area of life, current happenings professionally, and/or one of the myriad crazy things going on in the world on a daily basis.

 

Sometimes I think transitioning back into cogent thoughts will be smooth, and other times it seems predestined for slow, awkward, epic failure. Even though that (often times) debilitating line of thinking has kept me from reflection, I know - and personally value - the importance of looking inward and collecting thoughts on a regular basis. 

But it's more than that. This fall, there has been the ever-present feeling of "so much." So much noise; so many variables; so much distraction; so many obstacles. While I fully understand and acknowledge I write this reflection from a point of privilege and being blessed - health of self and family good, steady job, etc. - it is also valid to say the last handful of months have been a bit much. A grind. And when I think about all of it, it can be easy to let the "so much" become all-consuming. Sometimes it just feels good to put your head down, be productive, and get the job done. The problem is, there can be so much 'cargo' that you end being the one taken for a ride, wondering just how the view became so altered, so quickly.

With that said, it feels appropriate to focus on some of the positives from this first semester so far...obviously the craziest, weirdest, most challenging, and (in some ways) the most rewarding four months of a twenty-year teaching career. 

• Students are amazing. Like really, truly incredible. Is this some of the best "work" I've seen out of kids thus far? Not necessarily. Have I been pleasantly surprised and inspired on many occasions? Absolutely. My Advisory (homeroom) kids show up every day, most of them eager to talk, share, exchange stories and jokes, and encourage each other. All of my other classes typically have 97-100% attendance; work is done just as much as before. In short - the kids are alright.
• That said, my biggest worry is their mental health. Are they feeling connected enough? Do they know many adults are caring for them and invested in them every day? I know it's my #1 goal this year...creating the environment and culture where they can just come and "be," if nothing else. The work will get done, and they always end up learning. I fully believe they learn just as much by observing me - my attitude, my commitment to them, the grace I offer, the patience I show, and the enthusiasm I bring on a daily basis. 
• While it has been different to not have the usual amount of interaction with parents - especially in person - to a person they have been amazingly supportive of me and their child. I have no doubt this makes an invaluable difference. There are many roadblocks this year, but this support has worth more than I could have imagined. 
• I really miss seeing and working with colleagues in-person. This isn't really a "positive," other than it speaks to the talented, dedicated, amazing staff at my school. 
  
• The administration at my school is fantastic. Enough said.
• In some ways, this fall has been the most rewarding stretch of my teaching career. Learning new ways to instruct, connect, assess, and plan have helped me grow as an educator. 

There are more things on my mind - serious and lighthearted - from the experience of these last nine months. More posts and more reflections for other days. For now, it was important to get back in the rhythm, think about how things have gone, and take stock of all the positives going on in a world of chaos.