Starting and Ending with Celebration

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At the end of a recent staff meeting (optional, on Zoom), I struggled to come up with a point of celebration. “Does anyone have a positive experience to share?” I asked. We learned that one teacher has a new family of foxes living on their property. “You should set up a nature cam!” suggested a faculty member. More smiles followed.

It can be tough to notice the positives in these challenging times. I’m not immune. But if we make appreciation a habit, we are more likely to see the good.

We need celebration now more than ever. “What’s going well today?” It’s a question we can pose to our students at the beginning of a Zoom meeting or post in Schoology or Seesaw as a morning message. It’s an attempt at gratitude that can help dispel this cloud of anxiety.

We can end the same way we began. “Would anyone like to share something they are grateful for, before we close?” Appreciation needs only time and space + an invitation.

So where to begin?

Here’s one positive observation I’ve brought up with staff: We were released to remote learning near the end of the school year. We had a solid six months to set students up for independence. We’ve spent time reflecting on how fortunate we are that:

• there was plenty of opportunity to build community in our classrooms,

• students could embed essential reading habits and strategies,

• our school and families have become better partners in instruction,

• all bullying and school safety concerns have disappeared, and

• our technologies have proven robust when we needed them most.

One more thing worth noting: this won’t last forever. There will be a point where we come back to school in the physical sense. It will be the gift we receive for our efforts to take care of ourselves and others, such as through maintaining socially distancing. 

I’m no Pollyanna. I also believe that education won’t resemble what it was in the future. But even in anticipating our future challenges, there are also opportunities for positive change. For example, I’ve realized how limited we are in our beliefs about the time we have with our students and colleagues. If learning is a lifelong endeavor, and our technologies and communities are up to the task, why are we allowing our antiquated calendars and schedules to create the constraints on our days? There is so much possibility here.

How to make the best of our situation…certainly not by constantly dwelling on what’s wrong. I do hope we will bring a renewed sense of urgency for addressing student inequity, yet couple this with a greater sense of appreciation for the little things when we return to school together. There will be nothing too small to celebrate.

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