Category: Announcements

Announcement: Elections!

So, after years of teaching, education, and educator roles, and after years of encouragement and development from fellow educators, I’ve taken the plunge and put myself forward as a candidate for: San Bernardino County, Board of Education, Area C.

There are a multitude of educator hats and leadership positions. We can be teacher leaders, administrators, facilitators, coaches, school board members, union activists, and more.

I’ve pursued training and development for years, I’ve had experience in a few leadership roles. Nevertheless, I’ve been told to keep going and keep leading. And now, I have a website, a Facebook page, a Twitter, and an Instagram dedicated to the pursuit of my next goal, my next chapter, my next avenue for the promotion, not of myself, but of our entire education system. It feels great!

Check out the various forums — and let me know what you think, let me answer any questions, and let me know if I can count on your support 🗳️

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Monthly Advice–August

Last year was a year unlike any other. This year is shaping up to be a similar situation:

  • When will we go back to our classrooms?
    • Will we ever go back to our classrooms?
  • Can we wear masks–all day?
    • Are shields better than masks?
  • How do we social distance . . . in a classroom?
  • How will evaluations work?
  • Who attends on what days?
  • What does funding look like?
  • What programs will we use online? How do we use them?

. . . there are many questions. And while we can answer some before we begin the school year, so much cannot be answered until we are in the trenches.

So this month, and for this year, my advice: just do your best. It’s the only thing we can do.

This is a new experience, and a new roadmap, for everyone. All we can do is our best.

Sometimes our best will mean the internet is great, the lesson translates via the laptop, and learning is happening as planned; sometimes our best will mean waiting for the internet to catch-up, repeating yourself because the connection was interrupted, and all that planned learning for today, happens tomorrow. As long as you’re doing your best, I am proud of you, and applaud you.

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Photo by stem.T4L on Unsplash

 

Welcome Back!

On March 31, 2020 I announced a hiatus as I focused my efforts here.

April, May, June, a bit of July — a pandemic continues, a social uprising begins, and somehow we are expected to manage our personal lives as these two major events, as well as every other change, movement, and news comes along. Wow.

As we prepare for an uncertain future, in every realm, allow me to return to education.

Although no one knows for certain what classrooms or learning will look like in the fall, there will still be classrooms and there will still be learning.

***

I had long ago taken a pathway of learning and instruction that was focused on equity, diversity, and inclusion, and now it has gained the attention it always deserved. I will continue to intertwine this passion onto this platform. Of course, I will continue to add a bit of humor too–we need that in our lives, now more than ever. So, really, the only thing that will change is the addition of remote and virtual elements.

Remote/virtual learning was modis operandi this past spring, and it has unleashed the call for more remote/virtual learning–given our current state of affairs, we may go back to it, right?

Whatever happens, wherever we’re headed, I’m here — and happy you’re joining me.

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Photo by CDC on Unsplash

Clean Rooms

With everything that has been on the news, teachers have been at the forefront of advocating and pressing for clean(er) schools. I get it, with upwards of a thousand or more people coming in and out of one building–during flu and allergy season–a lot of surfaces need a good wipe. Now, with coronavirus, that sense of urgency or obligation is heightened–I get that too.

I always believed in a clean classroom. In the early days I would even come, before school, to my classroom, just to dust and wipe down surfaces. I’m kind of a neat-freak anyway, but I also knew that sometimes school is the nicest place for a child, and the cleanliness of my classroom, the sparkle and shine, the pride I wanted to exude, was an extension of giving my students that nice-place-feel. By putting extra effort into cleaning I felt I made safety and security more tangible.

After some time though, I either had to give up or ask for help. It’s hard to keep a classroom neat and orderly. Interestingly enough, kids are way more enthusiastic about cleaning than I ever anticipated or imagined.

So, if you’re cleaning here are some tips and ideas to involve the kids and really make your room shine:

  • Clorox wipes can be harsh on little hands–and harsh on our wallet. Try using baby wipes instead. Give everyone one wipe and let them go to town.
  • Vinegar, water, and an orange peel make for a great sanitizing spray. Spray surfaces, allow students to wipe down (can use baby wipes or paper towels for wiping).
  • Make your own hand sanitizer—all it takes is aloe vera and alcohol. It can be a little experiment or recipe lesson for students, but try it first at home and test it out, all recipes take practice!
  • Get some castille soap, dilute, and viola–hand soap for the classroom.
  • Go old school: clean with shaving cream! For the primary folks, practice letters, numbers, shapes, and sight words with shaving cream. It can get messy but it’s tactile and helps clean the room.
  • Assign added tasks and duties to tables, individuals, and groups. Designate the sink space, the carpet, the bookshelves, the chairs, the coat rack, whatever is in your classroom, as someone’s specific lead and/or responsibility.

Whatever you do, whatever you try, make sure to involve others. A classroom and school belongs to all of us, so we each have to do our part to keep it nice and clean. Cleaning skills are life skills, by including our students we teach them critical life lessons. By including our students, we also allow them to take pride in their school, to see their collective power, and to have another chance to work together. It’s just cleaning, but it can be so much more if we do it right.