What We CAN Do

 My school has been engaged in its annual fundraising campaign for the last week and a half.  Because we could not have some of our normal in-person events, we have had to ramp up social media efforts.  As a result, we have had a number of videos that describe our school.  The final one focused on our mission statement's opening line.  GRACE Christian School is a loving community.  One of our elementary school teachers describes her experience as a prospective parent coming into GRACE for the first time and, of course, our return to school.  

In the video, she reflects on what her concerns had been on returning to school.  She said, "I was so concerned about wearing masks and plexiglass.  My daughter doesn't talk about that when she gets home.  She talks about the things she did with her teacher.  She talks about Egyptian Day and being able to play soccer on the playground.  Her world is not centered around what she CAN'T do.  Her world is centered around what she CAN do."

We've spent a lot of time and energy in the last eight months talking about what we can't do.  What if our focus shifted?  What if, like this first-grade student, our world was centered on the good things we did during the day?  There are things I didn't know I was capable of before March of last year, so here are a few of the things I've learned that I CAN do during 2020.

1.  I CAN deliver instruction from home and from classroom to kids at home.  Prior to March 2020, I had used Google Hangout for a few meetings with our technology coach when she was living in a different state.  Each time I used it, I had to have someone explain how to set up the call.  During the final quarter of last year, I taught every class from it.  Now, I log in six times every day on both a laptop and an iPad, mute and unmute, share my screen, take the iPad outside, or into the lab, for demonstrations.  I'm not saying it is the same as teaching face to face because it is not, but I CAN still teach.

2.  I CAN teach with a mask on.  There was a lot of concern about masked teaching, especially with some of my students learning from home.  As it turns out, it's not the issue I thought it would be.  I'm already fairly loud, but I have learned to speak even louder (I'm a little hoarse at the end of each week) and with better diction.  In the 10 weeks we have been back at school and masked, I have only had students say, "I didn't understand what you said.  Can you repeat it?" two times.  Don't get me wrong, I am happily anticipating the day when I can teach with my whole face again, it is possible to teach with it covered.

3.  I CAN have some hands-on learning.  I'll admit that this is more difficult with kids at home, but it can be done with some pre-planning.  Our AP Chemistry teacher made kits of supplies and sent them to the kids who learn from home.  She obviously cannot safely send every chemical, but for the ones that she could, she did.  I send a weekly email to my students with a rundown of the coming week and, in it, inform them of any supplies they could use if they have them at home.  I've always taught most of my classes with everyday materials (salt, aluminum foil, 9-V batteries, pennies, balloons) because I've always wanted them to see science as part of their lives, not just things people with fancy equipment do.  This has been helpful because a lot of what I use in class are things that students have in their homes.  If they don't, it isn't a problem because they can be part of a group from the iPad and then use that group's data, but some of them are still getting hands-on experiences.  During last week's conferences, the mom of one of my physics students said, "I saw her going outside with an egg and asked her what she was doing.  She said, 'Physics is doing an egg toss.  I'm going outside and tossing it to myself.'"  Is it ideal?  No.  Is it still possible to have some experimental learning?  Yes.

4.  I CAN laugh with my students.  My kids are funny.  Sometimes, they are even funny on purpose.  They make me laugh every day, in spite of the stress of living during a pandemic.  I have noticed that it is harder to make them laugh because it turns out that a lot of my classroom humor comes from facial expressions, but that just makes me work harder to earn the laugh.  We CAN still enjoy each other.

5.  I CAN model hope, growth, and perseverance.  I know that at least half of what I have learned in my life was not intentionally laid out in a lesson plan.  It was from the way the adults around me lived their lives.  I saw and heard adults talk about the economy, politics, job woes and joys, religious practices, community service, musical tastes, reading for pleasure, etc. from my parents and grandparents, from my friends' parents, from the adults in my church, and from teachers.  My students have seen their teachers keep teaching rather than curl up in a corner.  They have seen us cry, but they have seen us dry out tears and keep going.  They have seen us embrace our mistakes and learn from them.  They have heard us talk about the future.  

Tomorrow, I can teach in person and online and plan for the following week and grade tests and perform labs and attend virtual meetings and eat lunch with colleagues and work on the yearbook and laugh with friends in the hallway and . . . and . . . and.

Let's center our thoughts on what we CAN do, not what we CAN'T do.