by Toby Karten
While delivering an online professional development co-teaching session via a Zoom platform, I received one of favorite private messages in the chat. It was from a participant who was seated six feet away from two of her colleagues in an Alaskan classroom. Since they were all wearing masks and muted, their reactions were somewhat hidden. The participant shared:
“You can’t hear us, but are cracking up at your subtle sense of humor. TY; we needed that!”
Here I was in New Jersey and there they were in Alaska. Even though we were distance learning, and the masks hid some reactions, the connections continued!
Bottom line: The pandemic changed platforms and protocols, but it has not deterred administrators, educators, students and their families from creatively turning the page. We communicate and learn in classrooms and online. Each day presents challenges, but if positivity and resiliency prevail, challenges are morphed into opportunities. A pandemic cannot mask learning. A pandemic cannot mask smiles! Learning may be different, but learning and connections continue. Onward, please!
