online schooling - Raine Dawn Valentine

Yesterday we found out that all Maryland schools will be closed for the remained of the 2019-2020 school year. We have been out since the end of the day on Friday March 13th.

Friday the 13th was the last day I saw my students before being quarantined. Friday the 13th was the last “normal” school day of my career. Things are so different , and will be from now on.

Virtual learning is the name of the game. A few years ago, I had the idea things would be digital sooner or later… but never did I imagine it happening like this.

Today was my first day meeting with my students after learning we aren’t going back to school. The students will be receiving a pass/fail grade for 3rd and 4th marking period, as well as for their final grades for the year. As of right now, we do not know how we are going to assess them and decide who passes or fails. I couldn’t imagine any students failing in this crazy unsettling time. There are so many students who do not have the support they need to succeed during this crisis.I have so many questions, I can only imagine how my students are feeling inside. How will we go on? How will this affect us in the long run? What will happen in August and September? These questions run through my mind, without any sure answers in place.

Today we reflected on what we are grateful for, using this time to remember that even in the face of uncertainty… there is still always something we can find to be grateful for.

On a brighter note, this week is teacher appreciation week… some of my students sent me messages and really pulled at my heartstrings.

In all of this uncertainty, one thing that’s for sure… is how much I love and miss my students, my classroom, and our school community. Absence does make the heart grow fonder. I truly hope I am able to see everyone again and show them how much they mean to me.

If I can give one piece of advice in this time, its to KEEP CREATING!

While being off of work we are getting into a totally new schedule. This whole time has been about transitioning and adapting… changing old ways of doing things so they are effective for the now. Or sometimes letting go of things completely to make room for something totally new, like with the online learning!

Not only is a new chapter beginning in my teaching career, but also in my role as mother. Previously, as mother I would come home and spend time playing and doing fun things with the kids. Also making them do their chores and holding them accountable for completing the work their teachers gave them.

My previous role description no longer suits the current situation. Now more than ever I am fulfilling my role as a leader and a teacher. I feel right now we are all being called to step up, knowing ourselves deeper and sharing our gifts as they serve us in this moment in time.

Having a career as a teacher gives me a slight advantage over this home e-learning business, however it is also proving to be challenging. There is a HUGE difference between teaching students in school every other day, and teaching your own children in your home, while being with them all day every day, 24/7. I am feeling for those parents who are not natural educators. If you are charting the new territory of teaching, here are few tips:

Breathe, what’s important is not necessarily what you are teaching, but that you are getting your kids to think!
Learning can happen in all ways, not just in a school type setting where kids sit still at a desk and do their work. Think of different ways to incorporate learning into the things you are already doing.
Create a schedule or structure that you and your kids can agree upon. My kids aren’t waking up by an alarm, we have let them wake up on their own, but once they are up they get themselves ready for the day and then begin their school work for the day.
Be flexible and adapt!
Don’t take things personally.
Let most things go!
Remember to smile <3
Give lots of hugs!
Take a break.
Remember to breathe

<3 Be well

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