A school year worth recommencing is one that students log on to without teachers having to text parents to make their kids log on to. Assuming that much of the country stays remote, of course. A school year worth recommencing is not even an interesting topic in a “normal” year, although the vast benefits of school as we know it have been illuminated like never before in 2020.
What will make a school year that feels more like a stop-gap measure than real instruction worthwhile?
Usually, the ancient traditions of the Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Muslims, Buzzfeed, etc. have a lot to say on the topic of what makes something “worth it.” However, these notable voices are silent on the particular issue of what makes a remote school year recommencing, and who can really blame them.
Not to pass the buck, but first, districts need to make better judgment calls that rely on actual judgment and scientific evidence with respect to the opening and closing of schools. Too many schools have flip-flopped between completely remote and hybrid models all fall, including in New York, that have led to teacher burnout and resentment. Teachers and students may not even be notified about whether or not they are going to school until the night before in many cases. How can teachers prepare adequate instruction that builds to a school year worth the time if we live in a constant state of flux and uncertainty, leading to changing plans and continuous re-planning? I am all too fortunate that my school remained entirely remote the past fall. I can say that this one decision on the part of district leaders has allowed me to focus entirely on instructional planning and how to adapt lessons effectively to a remote setting, as well as how to creatively use remote features that were previously overlooked to promote student engagement and collaboration. The tasks that teachers spend time and energy on depend on our container — our working environment and conditions. If we are to focus on instruction, we need to have the time for it. We cannot be thinking about the logistics of whether we need to go to the school building to make copies or how to set up zoom in the classroom so that kids at home still know what’s going on.
In short, teachers and students need consistency and predictability. We need a plan and a schedule we can depend on so we can spend our energy on teaching and learning. We need the container to be a trusty, run-of the mill Camelbak so that we can upgrade the contents to Evian.
What else makes a school year worth recommencing?
There are other technical components that can help make the rest of the school year worthwhile. Again, we need time. School and district leaders can provide protected time for teachers to plan, make adjustments, and collaborate with each other. We need a cohesive curriculum. My charter network’s math department changed the curriculum schools would use this year, and that has led to issues with standards alignment on daily objectives and assessments. Teachers had to learn how to implement a new curriculum in a remote setting. I spend a significant amount of time vetting and modifying network-provided resources to meet students’ needs and giving feedback on curricular resources to improve them for the future. We need simplicity in school design and the flexibility in unit and lesson planning to make adjustments to spend more or less time on certain topics when needed, based on student progress. We do not need unforgiving rigidity tied to a standardized testing schedule. Teachers need to feel secure in the belief that our efforts are not futile and will not be upended in the next days or weeks. School leaders must listen when teachers state what they need, what is working, and what isn’t working. Adults must listen when students share what they need, what is working, and what isn’t working, and provide ample opportunities for students to do so. We need to listen more, hear each other to work together, and only take the air space we need.
All that aside, what really makes a school year worth recommencing seems intangible at the surface. I think it boils down to something simple. We — school and district leaders, teachers, adults — need to care enough to invest in students what they deserve and require.
We need to care enough to be willing to experiment. We need to care enough to get creative. We need to care enough to put in the time, effort, and hard work that our students rely on us for to make the rest of their school year time purposefully spent. We need to care enough to not give up before the school year runs its due course. A big part of teaching is not just about getting each lesson ready, differentiating to meet individual needs, and teaching the content. A big part of teaching is motivating our students and getting them to care enough in what they are learning to stick with it when things get challenging and they want to give up. Teachers work hard to get kids to do their work, revise their work, and keep trying day in and day out. My heroes and role models are teachers who motivate the kids who consistently have difficulty with new material to keep going and grow. In turn, what do teachers need to keep going? Teachers care a lot, but motivation and willpower are finite resources that get used up and need to be replenished. There are parallels between what teachers can do for students and what education leaders can do for teachers. By implementing policies and changes with consistency, cohesiveness, and thoughtfulness, school and district leaders set the conditions that make it easier for teachers to keep going.
The right container. A dash of creativity. A willingness to experiment. Curiosity, joy, belief, care, love. A concoction that sustains and makes a school year worth (re)commencing.
Hopefully this whole thing wasn’t too preachy.
