Welcome to the Modern Learning Minute

Welcome to the Modern Learning Minute. This blog is a product of nineteen years working in the education field and countless experiences in various schools. I am so excited to offer relevant content helping you connect with your child, supporting their growth, and bringing peace of mind to families searching for ways to engage with their child and their child’s school. For schools working to reopen, following mitigation strategies, and focusing on teachers’ and students’ social-emotional health, this content will provide you with clear, focused, helpful ideas building leaders can use to support their school and community.

Relax

The pandemic has forced all of us to reevaluate our lives. No doubt you have asked the same question we all have asked, “Am I doing enough? Am I am doing what is right for my child, my students, my school, and my community?” Through working with schools, parents, and teachers, I have found a common thread. If you have asked yourself those questions, that answer is Yes. You are most likely doing enough, being enough, and you are doing right by those you care about most. Your goal is to provide your child with the best opportunities, maybe even opportunities you never had growing up. 

Schools and families are working to implement an educational program in a way traditional education was not designed to work, and we may find ourselves on the proverbial treadmill, trying to get ahead, and worrying that if we do not do more, our children will fall behind. Relax. Everyone is working to do their best, and though it might seem clunky at times, we all are in this together. A word not used nearly enough in our communities, in our schools, and in our homes is the word, “Grace”. It is through Grace that we appreciate the work being done, the struggles we face, and it is through Grace that we find peace, knowing that what we are doing and what we are feeling is based on an unprecedented event. Grace is needed for everyone right now as we all work together to adjust our lives to a new normal.

Reflect

The pandemic has forced us to reevaluate our lives. It has also given us that rare opportunity to reflect on our current practices, ways of life, and ask, “Are there different ways to do this? Are there better ways to do this?” Early on, I found myself asking this about simple things like getting gas, shopping for groceries, and even getting the mail from my mailbox. 

Simple tasks we took for granted as straight forward, had suddenly caused us apprehension and question the safety and risks to us and our families. With the shift towards distance learning, concurrent instruction, asynchronous and synchronous learning, the amount of new vocabulary you must absorb to continue the learning cycle for your children and students is nearly unsurmountable. It is in these times that we must pause and reflect on the purpose of these formats. For some families, the need for a 7-hour day of live instruction is necessary so parents can continue to work. For other families, mostly asynchronous learning is imperative for students and families. 

The goal cannot be to have one way of instruction for all students and families. The goal should be to provide options for families to access learning in a format that works for their children. This goal is imperative and provides a framework for families and schools to collaborate on what is best for each child.

Reimagine

This pandemic has also forced us to reevaluate education as well. The way our students completed simple tasks such as homework, read a book, and complete a worksheet had to be reevaluated and reimagined. Many schools worked to reimagine the learning process and the instructional demands of the school day. Schools and districts redesigned their instructional delivery model and intervention process to support student academic progress. All while providing families with flexibility regarding ways to access that learning model to accommodate those needs. There are so many viewpoints that encompass educating our students, supporting our children, and how we leverage those resources for the continued education of America’s next generation. 

Whether you are reading this for you, your family, or your school, thank you for taking these steps down an uncharted path. If you are searching for answers, know that there is not just one answer that works for all, but there are answers that work for you. Our education model, like a stretched rubber band, will not go back to its original shape. It is through innovation and continual learning that we grow and shape our future. This mindset creates the opportunity for progress on our path from traditional education to modern learning.