Obstacle or Opportunity?

This is hard!  I don't think any of us could have ever imagined that we would be in this situation right now.  The lack of control, the unknown future...it's all just so  much to take in.  I just needed to share some of my thoughts...to be honest, it's really all that I know to do right now.

​We have a choice to make in this moment.  We can choose to see this as an obstacle or an opportunity.  Make no mistake, I totally get that this is a huge obstacle that will impact us for many years to come.  But the reality is that obstacles are meant to be overcome.  When or how we will overcome COVID19 remains to be seen but we WILL move beyond this obstacle and hopefully, we will learn some things in the process.  

From an education perspective, if we look closely, this can be seen as an opportunity for our learners to make real connections beyond the walls of the classroom.  It is an opportunity to see learning differently.  I have a feeling that when this entire situation is over, we will be able to look at learning through the lens of the past, the present, and the future.  What did learning look like before COVID19, what did it look like during, and what will it look like when we return to the classroom?  If we choose to see this as an opportunity for our students to make important connections and recognize that learning happens everywhere, the potential is there for us to change how things are done from this day forward.  

I don't have all of the answers...in fact, I'm not sure I have any answers at all.  But, I do know that perspective during difficult times is important.  I'll say it again, THIS IS HARD!  It's weird, it's uncomfortable, and it's the last place any of us would hope to be.  We will never again take leaving our homes for groceries, sitting at a hot baseball game, or going to work on a Monday morning for granted.  Things will be different.  Our lives have been turned upside down and we can all agree that this obstacle is massive.  It's important to be mindful about our mindset. In order to overcome the obstacle, we will have to be patient, understanding, kind, and above all, determined.  

So, as we continue to work as a city, a state, a country, and one world to get this whole thing figured out, we have a choice to make.  Will we come out on the other side of this obstacle with a new perspective? Will we have recognized the opportunities before us and created real change?   I hope so.  As for my family, we are trying really hard to balance being realistic and hopeful in our home but most importantly, we rest in our faith and stay focused on the day that we will go back to school, back to work and back to life as we know it.

As an educational community, I just wanted to take some time to encourage us to do the same.  Let's be realistic but hopeful.  Let's see this as an opportunity for meaningful learning to occur and for our students to make connections that may never have been made in the classroom.  Let's be flexible, understanding, realistic and hopeful. 

Whether you are a parent, educator, or part of the community trying to figure this out right now, the choice is ours...will we simply see this as an obstacle or will we also see it as an opportunity to overcome and adapt so that our learners recognize that learning happens everywhere?

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​Side Note:  I probably won't post for a while as, like most of you, I am spending time with family, helping them get school work done, and trying to get my work done as well.  I did want to share some of the resources that I've created during this time.  I don't know how helpful they will be, but wanted to share what I could.  Check them out below...

Making Connections Parent/Teacher Resource
Wonderopolis Slides
Genius Hour at Home
Remote Learning Slides