My Thoughts on Education

  Today it hit me. I am in grief. Grief for the life that we had once so freely lived. Grief for the school that I called home. Grief for my three kids and the privilege of sending them to a school with teachers who love and care for them in person. Grief for the job my husband once went to but as a manager of a retail store, he is now furloughed. Grief for the ability to sneak in moments for me. I also am starting to recognize that I have been going through the stages. Shock and Denial During the beginning of all of this, I remember thinking, this can't be real, right? I'm going to wake up tomorrow and this will all have been a bad dream. I also found myself saying, "It really can't be that bad, right?" I really was in denial about the Corona Virus. Pain and Guilt Then, it all hit me. The pain of what I knew was coming. So many teachers who would need support. How could we actually do this? I also felt bad about my denial. I felt guilt that I hadn't done enou...

  Finding A Focus Through The Power of Us  March 6, 2020 Agency: A New Tech Network School Wide Learning Outcome Ah, the elusive “Agency.” My story with Agency began in 2012 when asked by my team during year two of CCNTH to give up teaching World and American Studies in order to create and facilitate a freshman elective that became known as Research and Communications (R&C).  It would be understood that Agency needed to be explicitly ‘taught’ to the freshmen.  To cite NTN agency is: “When we think of the skills students need to be successful in school and in life, the word “agency” doesn’t usually pop into mind. But maybe it’s time… Through the tenets of “agency,” we help students see effort and practice in a new light and associate both as growth paths and, ultimately, success. We can provide students with the skills to rebound from setbacks and build confidence as they welcome new challenges. Instilling the principles of “agency” helps students find personal re...