To my colleagues in education, I’m sure you have been hearing words of encouragement such as, “good job for hanging in there.” I disagree with these sentiments because you are more than just “hanging in there” and surviving; you are showing everyone that your desire to serve and help students during these trying times triumphs over any adversity you are facing. After being invited to various virtual meetings, and checking in with education professionals from all over the state (as well as observing my son’s teacher meetings), I can clearly see that WA educators are going the extra mile and taking their teaching practice to a whole new level. I am encouraged to see how people are coming together to achieve results in a new online learning medium.
Throughout the years, I have visited hundreds of schools and have had the privilege of seeing the amazing work that is taking place. While some of you have just recently begun working alone, there are teachers that have been on the frontlines with students for years without a counterpart at their school site or in the district for collaboration. These same folks do a fantastic job of helping those students who have exceptionalities to thrive in school and prepare for the world that comes after it. I am talking about the teachers who teach in the life-skill and transition programs.
New Opportunity: Professional Learning Community (PLC) Connections
Beginning in November 2020 and happening once a month through May 2021, there is a new Professional Learning Community (PLC) opportunity specifically for teachers of high school life-skills classes and 18-21-year-old transition programs. This will be a time where those life-skill and transition educators will be able to connect (via Zoom) with other job counterparts from across the state. The purpose is to provide a platform to collaborate, learn from one another, hear from guest speakers and representatives from organizations like the ARC of Washington, the Center for Change and Transition Services (CCTS), OSPI, the Zarrow Center, DVR, and more!
Some of the objectives of the class
(other than to be in the good company of course) include: Developing a greater understanding of best practices for state testing and transition plans, learning about mental health tools and supports, discovering and investigating relevant teacher, student, and parent resources and so much more. If you could take a moment and share this opportunity with the teachers with whom it applies, I’m sure that they would be mighty appreciative of the gesture.
We are all growing during this time. Here we are over a month into the school year. Who said you couldn’t teach an old dog new tricks? (“breakout rooms” anyone?) I know that your own students and even perhaps your own kids are adapting to changes they aren’t comfortable with. While we all have triumphed over the struggles, I want you to remember that this perseverance is building resilience in your students, your school, and in you. So the next time you hear someone say, “hang in there”, you can “clink” your glass with mine in a toast to yourself. You’re doing great!
