Making Rainbows

 The dynamic Dolly Parton says that if you want to see the rainbow, you’ve got to put up with some rain. Well, it’s raining. Been raining a while. The school year looks like a complete wash.

Instead of focusing on the rain, I am looking for the rainbow. I am choosing to put my focus on the good. If I can’t find the good, I will be the rainbow myself.

Our school will be using the hybrid model, dividing a class into two smaller cohorts which attend on separate days. One day per week we will be virtual. That is, of course, until the inevitable shut down occurs. It turns out, when we shift our focus, there are a lot of rainbows in sight.

 

I’m optimistic about having a small cohort to teach.

With fewer students in my classroom, I’m going to be able to teach with more intensity than I ever have before. Every teacher worth their salt knows that small groups are where the magic happens. We are being handed a year of magic. Without the rush to get through 25 or 30 students, we are going to linger in our small groups. We can push harder, dig deeper, get further, without the constant time crunch.

With fewer students, time will be spared. So much time is wasted in school every day. Time to wait for every student to take their turn, to line up, to find their pencil… I’m optimistic that learning will accelerate.

With fewer students, all students will be heard. Classroom conversations can stretch and deepen with more time and fewer voices.

 

I’m optimistic about virtual learning, too.

With online learning, I’m going to be able to use the new skills I developed in the spring during distance learning. I'll be able to prepare my students for their future. I'll be able to collaborate with teachers across the globe and use the very best resources to provide these kids a dynamic experience.  And, I'll be able to mute them at will.

With virtual days, I’m optimistic that my students are going to have the opportunity to develop independence and self-reliance. They are going to struggle with procrastination, and learn to put work before play. How wonderful for a child to learn this at an early age?

With virtual days, my students are going to have more time for rest. They will no doubt spend some days in pajamas, with a pet nearby, free from all the social concerns that can be so distracting at school. They can be themselves, moving at their own pace, and playing once the work is done. Children need more play. This is their opportunity.

 

I even see rainbows in a larger picture of our national educational system.

I’m optimistic that this struggle is going to help our system free itself of those practices that we have inherited over generations which no longer serve us. We can reevaluate students, learning, teachers… the very notion of school. We are learning that education does not need to be housed in a red brick building with a bell. We can break down those walls and extend our reach.

I’m optimistic that this is the perfect time to shake off unnecessary expectations. Let’s let go of the pressures of standardized testing, of the grind through endless initiatives. Let’s drill down to the heart of teaching.

We didn’t become teachers to conquer state tests. We became teachers because we were once moved to believe in the power of learning from a teacher who cared. Now we get to be that teacher. We get to focus in on that teacher within us. We get to teach like there’s no tomorrow.

 

The forecast is calling for a rainy year, teachers. Remember to look for the rainbows, and if you can’t find one, be the rainbow yourself.