By Sheri Bennett, Director of Professional Learning
All across the state, educators are conducting their own best professional LEARNING during the pandemic. Learning how to help students keep their masks on, how to keep their classrooms even safer and healthier, how to manage seating charts for contact tracing and how to communicate with parents who cannot enter the school buildings. Teachers who are teaching totally virtually have had to learn a whole new set of technology tools.
The whole world has had to shift normal ways of operation and there is a huge learning curve in all of our schools as you strive to educate Oklahoma’s students. The everyday pressure of feeling responsible for the learning, the emotional well being and the health of your class has compounded the weight of the already heavy load that most educators carry on a daily basis.
Much like the formation of a diamond, deep within the Earth’s surface, our educators are learning how to provide ways for students to continue learning in the face of pressure, like never before. The ways that an educator and a diamond develop have some striking similarities.
- Diamonds have a very strong type of bonding as carbon atoms attach to each other under high temperatures and pressure. Teachers continue to show up for their students and build relationships in the midst of ever changing daily plans and pressure to continue educating their students.
- It is the strong bonds of repetitive carbon atoms locking into place that produce the crystal that eventually is visible to the eye. In the same way, teachers have locked in daily routines for students to thrive in. They have formed strong bonds with students and students are learning. It is visible. So many schools that are safe places for students are open and children are being fed and cared for.
- Evaluation of a diamond….teacher…..
Effective professional learning and diamonds are both extremely valuable. Do not lose heart teacher! You are being made into a rock solid gem and your students will remember how you gave them grace and learned right alongside them as you continue to learn and navigate in this historic year of 2020!
Don’t forget to reach out to the Professional Learning department at POE. We are here to cheer, coach and collaborate with you as you lead the way for our students!