Tag: learning outside the classroom

Well, it is official. We are off until May 4^th.

My poor puppy will definitely be sick of me being home by then. (Although she is enjoying the extra belly rubs and she does like to help me with my work!)

After Minister Lecce spoke today and shared the new date for school closures and what parents can expect from phase two, there were definitely many questions that we all have. What is this going to look like? How are we going to reach our students if they have exceptional needs? How am I going to be writing report cards through all of this? What if my students are in crisis? The list of questions goes on and on and on and on… The mounting questions can send a tsunami sized stress wave over all of us.

But before you get overwhelmed and riddled with anxiety, remember that you have many of the skills that will lead you to do the best by your students.

We are all:

1. Incredibly resourceful- We can figure out how to teach multiple subjects using very little materials to a large group of students.
2. Flexible- We can adapt to changes in schedules, students added to our classroom and technology not being installed on a designated date. We regularly go with the flow and make it work.
3. Problem solvers- We solves hundreds if not thousands of problems a day. Most of us can solve an issue between friends while helping another student with a math question in one breath.
4. Good listeners- We regularly listen to parents and work with them to find the path that is best for their child.
5. Strong learners- We all are excellent learners. We can learn anything, any day of the week.
6. Able to inspire Students- Every day we inspire students to overcome adversity and succeed. This will be no different.

I know it seems like an incredibly overwhelming task at the moment to try and think about delivering an engaging and productive program in this context but we have all the skills we need to look after the well being of our students.

Good luck next week and be safe.

Whoa. Just whoa.

I can’t believe that two weeks ago I was told that school was going to be closed due to a global pandemic. I say the words out loud to myself and it doesn’t even seem real. I have gone through every emotion in the past two weeks from crying to laughing hysterically to the desire to sleep for a month. Like most, I miss my friends and family, am incredibly nervous that my partner is still working and am generally more on edge.

These past two weeks have also probably been the hardest in my teaching career and it is only the beginning.

So how do we manage through this?

I made my first couple of phone calls to my students and their families this morning. That really helped. It connected me to my wonderful students and brought me back to the best profession in the world. It also reminded me that we are going to have to work really closely with our families and be in tune to what they need. This is such a stressful and uncertain time for everyone. Some of my students have rolled along and adapted quickly, others are desperately missing their peers and are quite anxious. All I can promise is that I am going to try my hardest to meet all their needs the best that I can.

Like many other groups of students in our education system, my students have very unique learning needs. All the students in my class are on Alternative IEPs and many of the activities in our classroom use specialized equipment, technology and materials that the average family wouldn’t have in their home. All of this means that I am going to have to be a very creative, think outside the box teacher to connect with my students in the way that works best for them!

I am very fortunate to work with an amazing team of Educational Assistants and colleagues at school. I have spent many hours brainstorming with my special education colleagues about different tools and ideas for our students to use at home. The EAs and I have been testing different technology options that we could use collaboratively with our students. This will ensure that no matter what is asked of us next week that we are ready to roll.

And even with all the best laid plans, nothing is going to match my students coming off the bus with big smiles ready to start a new day at school with all of their classmates and teachers. So all we can do is carry on and hope the curve flattens right out so we can go back to being with each other.