It's Not Goodbye

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It’s now been a few days since the governor of Virginia closed schools for the 2019-2020 school year and I’m still in shock. Honestly, I fully expected Governor Northam to close schools until May 1st and then reevaluate the situation. I know this is the best decision for the health and safety of our students, staff, and parents, but boy did it come as a shock to hear the words come out of his mouth at the press conference. Everything still seems so surreal, like we’re watching a movie unfold in front of us and we’re trying to guess what happens at the end.

Michelle Weeks, an amazing friend and former coworker, recently posted a blog, This One’s For You, that allowed me to stop and think. In the last few days we have all been dwelling on what we have already missed and what we will miss with our students. However, there are many things that this school closure can never take away from us. We’ve been in school since August or September and there are so many learning moments, projects, and relationships that are built during that time.

  1. For the first time, 1st - 5th grades all successfully set up Engineering Notebooks! While it was a feat at first, students in all grade levels were rocking it!

  2. Our 3D-printers were finally able to be set up for the first time in 2 years.

  3. I had 4th and 5th graders excited they got set up on TinkerCad, so they could design at home too.

  4. I was able to transition into a room that was over two times larger than my previous room and students had space to move around and learn!

  5. I was able to present at 2 conference - VMI STEM Education Conference and Virginia Children’s Engineering Convention.

  6. I worked with 3Doodler in a multitude of ways - publishing articles (Full STEAM Ahead with Brittany Ballou, Harnessing Student Excitement, and STEAM Education: An Overview from an Expert), writing a lesson plan (Doodle Snowflakes: Geometry and Symmetry), and we were in the middle of highlighting how my students were completing a project.

  7. My 5th graders used a new piece of technology that we had never used before - Makey Makey, and they did an amazing job creating a model of a cell and detailing what each part did. They loved using the new technology so much that they were giving me more ideas to use it in the future.

  8. I was able to get more hands-on learning tools, like Create and Design Drill Kits, so my younger students could have hands-on experience learning how to use drills and screwdrivers.

  9. I led my first STEAM Enrichment - Design Like Disney! I had so much fun with that group of 12 students as they built new rides for Disney World’s 50th Anniversary.

  10. My kindergartners were really growing as engineers! They were sharing, planning, building, and learning from one another.

So, as Michelle challenged me, I challenge you. Reflect on this school year. While it is not over, yet, and there’s still learning to be had, we will be in a different environment than we’re used to. Take a few minutes to think of 10 positive things from this school year and hold onto those moments as we navigate the waters of digital/remote learning. Because the 2019-2020 school year is not over and it’s certainly not time to say goodbye to our students!