3rd Grade Level Fiction- Bing AI Mario and Luigi were taking a walk in the Mushroom Kingdom when they saw a strange portal. They had never seen anything like it before. "What do you think it is?" asked Luigi. "I don't know," said Mario. "But let's go find out!" Mario and Luigi jumped into the portal and disappeared. When they opened their eyes, they were in a strange new world. The sky was purple and the trees were blue. Mario and Luigi had never seen anything like it before. "Where are we?" asked Luigi. "I don't know," said Mario. "But it looks like we're going to have an adventure!" Mario and Luigi started walking through the strange new world. They soon came across a group of friendly creatures called Yoshis. The Yoshis told Mario and Luigi that they were in the Land of Yoshi. "Welcome to the Land of Yoshi!" said one of the Yoshis. "We're so glad you're here." T
There are many ways to learn.
One of the most important is when in reflection. When you can take a moment or 2 and collect yourself. Figure out what has happened and what you did about it.
Obviously, distance learning or remote learning is not going away for at least the next few weeks. My colleague's anxiety about what happens after summer break is real. Returning to school must happen, but in what way and how?
I work with exceptional students. Zoom sessions with students with Down Syndrome, Autism, and Intellectual Disabilities bring challenges. These sessions also bring realizations.
SMILE
When I start a Zoom session, I get the wonder of being able to look at myself.
My wife is a lucky lady, I know :)
Seriously though, start with a smile. Yes, you are texting. Yes, your email just pinged. Yes, you have 5 more sessions today. Smile. Smile for the student. Smile for yourself. Smile because you are still able to touch the lives of students through a computer.
GET IT DONE NOW
I've noticed that the days go fast. There are gaps of time to collect yourself. There are gaps of time in which more scheduling and planning and sundry tasks need to be taken care of. If you're blessed to be a parent, there are maybe diapers to change, food to prepare, school work to be helped with, and so on. While you have these moments, don't check Facebook or Insta. Get it done now. When it's all done, there will be plenty of time for mindless scrolling. While your brain is active, while you are present then stay present. Get it done now.
CLOSE YOUR EYES AT THE END OF THE DAY
When the day is done, no more screens. At least for a little bit. Close your eyes, take a breath. Collect what's left of your mind. As much as you should "get it done now," when you have finally logged off of your last session, give your mind (and eyes!) a break. Close them for a little. Take a breath while counting to 4. Breath out and count to 4 again. Open your eyes and come back to the world.
Distance learning has wrought havoc on what we do as educators. Relationships we thought we had with students are now virtual and... well, distant. There is more to learn as we wrap up this year. There are things that we can do for our students and ourselves to make this the best of a bad situation. Whatever September brings, we can still smile when we start with a student. Whatever break you get from the summer, come back refreshed to get things done now. Social media will be there when you are finished with the day. When you sign off, sign off completely. Don't switch to the next task right at the end of the day. Close your eyes and take a breath or 2.
...and most of all, remember that you are still here for your students. It may not be on the same continent as "okay," but it's better than nothing.
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