Today’s Apple: Safety First
Every school year brings hope, excitement, and wonder for what is to come. Who will be in class together? Who are the teachers? What will my child’s teacher be like? All of which are part of going back to school. As a parent, and as a teacher this always brought to mind the question of can a square peg fit in a round hole? After all, an entire group of people will be expected to work side-by-side, to learn, and get along for about 180 days. It is an amazing feat to say this least.
I believe this next year will be filled with even more wonder. Will there be masks? Will there be social distancing? Will my child learn? Will my child be able to catch up? Will my child be safe?
Safety is on the minds of all as we wonder if this pandemic will ever come to an end. It has affected and changed so many parts of our lives around the world and will continue to do so. Change is always inevitable and most of the time, the rate of change is something that is accepted…in general. This past year and a half have shown that change can also happen quite rapidly as a result of necessity. This rapid change is necessary if we are to help all students not only get caught up from the previous year, but also reach expectations and outcomes for this next school year, and years to come.
We cannot go back over the previous grade level’s standards but are able to differnetiate instruction to get students to the expected levels of achievement. Differentiation includes relationships of trust, understanding each child’s strengths, and using those strengths to overcome challenges. Teachers need to guide and facilitate this development through student collaboration, guided instructional practices, reciprocal teaching (a type of coopertative learning that allows the students to take charge of the learning), and seriously must take a different tack when looking at teaching as a whole. There is a major difference between being the “sage on the stage” and presenting information, and being the teacher, I.e. the facilitator and guide
