For more than two decades I’ve provided professional development and coaching support to teachers to expand their effectiveness with learner engagement in face-to-face environments. As a former special ed teacher and professor, I’m steeped in evidence-based and research-based practices.

As 2020 winds down, it’s natural to look back over a tumultuous year and look forward with hope.

Whether your school is open, operating remotely, or some sort of hybrid, one thing is certain: there’s lots of confusion. Your school leader’s job is to blaze a trail where we haven’t gone before.

Are you like me? Do you dread calling those impersonal businesses that put you on hold? I know how it will go… There will be a voice telling me to press 1 for this department and 2 for that kind of information. I listen to the options, knowing that my request doesn’t really fit any of them, but I make my choice.

I was conducting mid-year Inclusion Rounds last week with the district Special Education Director and building Principals. Getting back into classrooms keeps my perspective realistic by reminding me about issues teachers face on a daily basis and reinforcing the complex layers of systems change. There are just so many variables to consider as we transform educational systems into nurturing places for ALL students AND teachers!

Schools are in the midst of BIG questions and preparations for fall opening —

1. Face-to-face or online?

2. How do we keep everybody safe?

3. What will instruction look like?

4. What do families want?

5. How do we assess learning?

6. How can we build a resilient school community?

It’s 4th of July but nothing feels normal since the pandemic. While some places are starting to open up, others are reporting an increase in cases. Overall, more families will “shelter in place” this holiday — fewer backyard barbecues, fewer pool parties, fewer people going to the beach and parks, fewer shoppers taking advantage of big holiday sales.

If you are on my mailing list, it’s because you’ve signed up from my website, you’ve given me your information at a national conference, or you have participated in my professional development sessions – in person or online.

Therefore, I think it’s safe to say you know something about me.

There are a lot of terms being thrown around to describe what schools are doing right now. What are the differences? Which term fits what you and your school are providing during school?

Have you been told that you have to track your interactions with colleagues, students, and families? This is something that teachers have not been expected to do in the past. When you showed up at school, there was an assumption that you were engaged in professional activities – teaching students, planning lessons, grading, collaborating with colleagues, interacting with families.