By the time everyone is reading this, the 2024 – 2025 school year will be in full swing. At the time I’m writing this though, there are still a few weeks left in the summer. I thought it would be fun to do a bit of pre-reflection on the start of the year, by considering some “pre-lessons” or things I think I will be learning, as the year gets started. Here are four of these “maybe” lessons. It will be fun to check back in a month or so and see whether these have happened, are likely to happen, or were totally, irrefutably, misses (those are always interesting too.)
Incorporating Generative AI will need to be an even larger part of what I do
At this point in time, I am using Generative AI to expand on some of the ideas I generate by helping me see potential connections as I think through professional learning design. I am also incorporating it in some instances for better word choice and to refine writing in general. Currently, it is a supplement for me, and something I use from time-to-time when I feel I need a more expansive view or quick shift of my train of thought. What it hasn’t become yet for me, though I believe it will shortly, is a daily resource or necessity for me to do my work as effectively as possible. In my role, I am still using it as an option, rather than as something that has become fully integrated into my workflow. I believe I will be learning more and more about how to do that as the 2024 – 2025 school year begins.
I’ll be reflecting on the pendulum nature of education yet again
We know that our profession is a great example of a pendulum. What works at one point seems to not work at a later point, only to work again further down the line. Often, it has little to do with whether the “what” works or doesn’t. Rather, it is much more about sentiment and view at a given point in time. In New York, we are seeing that currently with the way we think about accountability for teaching and learning. As our state starts to consider what marks progress towards graduation and how teachers and leaders showcase their effectiveness in the profession, I think that as the year starts, I’ll also be shifting my work to a more flexible, and freer, way of supporting the districts I serve. This is awesome, of course, and at the same time, fewer guardrails comes with its own set of challenges. To be honest, this is one pre-lesson I can’t wait to be learning.
Holistic “buckets” for teaching and learning will be the new way I think through my work
Over the last few years, we have continued to partition more and more of the space. For example, we have added additional subjects, additional blocks of time devoted to disciplines and additional requirements for successful learning. Partitions can be good, of course. We can’t look at everything holistically. That said, the benefit of a more integrated approach is that we can provide more authentic connections for learners. If we wonder why more and more students seem disinterested in learning, we might benefit from asking ourselves how our structures have created this. For instance, how can we hope for all students to see the connections between disciplines if we are constantly telling them that there are separate times to learn about each? That’s rhetorical, of course. We simply can’t. So, I anticipate shifting my thinking, my support, and our larger societal view on this to push us to think more about “buckets” like STEM, literacies and global connection rather than the disconnected disciplines we have used as markers previously.
I will need to do a better job with self-care and wellness
Working in our profession has never been easy. There has always been a disconnect in how our profession has been seen and the reality. That said, whether for financial, health, or any other reason, surviving as an educator has only become more difficult. And while I can’t speak for other people, I am still going about my business as if it hasn’t gotten more challenging. I believe that for me to be as effective as I can, I will need to do a better job taking care of myself. I do believe I have succeeded in giving others the space to do this. Unfortunately, what we model is often what people see as the “right thing to do.” If I don’t model taking time and valuing self-care, then I can’t be frustrated if others refrain from doing the same. I will need to be more aware and more committed to thinking of, and taking action to support, my own health and wellness needs.
It is unclear to me if these pre-lessons will really be what I learn as the year gets started. Anything can happen in our profession, and while I trust my roughly 25 years as an educator to serve as a good foundation to determine what will come next, I’ve been humbled enough times to know that experience is never a substitute for the unpredictable nature of real life. I look forward to reflecting on these four potential lessons in a future post and wish everyone a great start to the new year.
Opinions expressed by SmartBrief contributors are their own.
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