Skip to main content

Teaching in Trying Times


Today I taught my courses online for the first time. The learning curve is steep for teachers and students.  Kids, though always on tech, are not used to taking 4 to 6 courses online,. with spotty wifi, on a smartphone. I am amazed and impressed by these young people. They show up and are counted. They miss each other, miss school, and miss the ROUTINE. Today wasn't about teaching and learning content - it was about reaching out and reconnecting with kids who are isolated and confused and scared. 

We laughed together through Video Conference: they laughed at me a bit as I stumbled through the presentation view of my screens... and it felt SO GOOD to be back in their company. I managed to get back to my classroom to collect my computer and some resources and I took photos of the room which I shared with my class. And they responded via chat with "Ah - good times" and #nostalgia. Nostalgic indeed. 

So I told them that every generation had its challenge: WWI, WWII, the Great Depression, Vietnam, Korea, Civil War, emigration, etc. This is their/our challenge and I know for certain that this generation of young people will survive and thrive again soon. Covid-19 will change the trajectory of career paths. It will change the way we work, teach, and learn. But perhaps most importantly, it will create a generation of survivors who will dedicate their lives to never letting this happen again.

Isn't that a great way to start the week?

Cheers,
A
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

I love hearing from readers. Send your comments here and I will get right back to you!

Popular posts from this blog

2025 Reading List

This book list is one I’m very excited to get through. It has something for everyone and a couple for just me! Ha!  "Until August" by Gabriel García Márquez "Until August" is a collection of twenty-five short stories that embrace themes of love, power, identity, and fate. Each story expresses Márquez's exceptional storytelling ability and presents characters who grapple with a range of emotional experiences within the context of Latin American culture. "Wandering Stars" by Tommy Orange In this collection of six short stories, Tommy Orange showcases a diverse cast of characters experiencing the complex facets of Native American life. From grief and resilience to the pursuit of belonging, these narratives examine the ways in which the past intertwines with the present, shaping the multifaceted Indigenous experience.   "The Midnight Library" by Matt Haig This captivating novel follows the story of Nora Seed, who is given a second chance to explo...
Post a Comment
Read more

2024 Book List

Hello all. I have chosen my picks of the best books of 2023 and here is my reading list for the New Year! Feel free to share this post widely since the books on this list make great holiday gifts! Included are the Booker Award Winner, the Writers Trust Award winner, new fictions from Atwood, Dewitt, Rushdie, Vermette and King. It is going to be a fantastic year of reading- enjoy!!!! This bookis ever the bridesmaid as it shortlisted for Writers Trust and the Booker - and it is SHORT! For the literary slower reader on ur list   de Witt is a master storyteller evoking great characters that stay with readers long after they finish the last page. this book is for the bookish reader on your list. It is as much about reading as it is anything else. This is the family epic romance mystery for the reader on your list that wants to be absorbed by drama coloured with intrigue.  This years’s Booker Prize Winner. Irish author. A must read to anyone who reads the latest and greatest! This N...
Post a Comment
Read more

Book Recommendation

hey Niagara Falls, once the honeymoon capital of the world, is still a draw for millions of tourists. I love it that we soooooo outshine the US falls. The US falls serves simply as a look out to the MAJESTIC WATER FEATURE ON THE CANADIAN SIDE - yes, I shout it out - just like I brag that we burned down the Whitehouse once - it's true! Look it up! I just read a good book called The S aturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson. It takes place in Niagara Falls, Canada. Yup - it includes Clifton Hill and everything! It is a bildungsroman  of a boy experiencing his 12th summer in - you guessed it - Niagara Falls! His uncle owns an "Occultorium"  (a store that sells all things paranormal) on Clifton Hill and there is laughter, love, danger and, of course, ghosts. It is short - just over 200 pages - and the reading level isn't too elevated so I think everyone from teens to octogenarians will enjoy this one. I can't seem to shake these characters. A
Post a Comment
Read more