HISD will begin virtual classes tomorrow. For teachers doing synchronous (live) teaching, now is DEFINITELY the time to develop the habit of being a reflective practitioner. Before you say students aren’t paying attention, PLEASE be sure you have a lesson worth their attention.https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😊" title="Lächelndes Gesicht mit lächelnden Augen" aria-label="Emoji: Lächelndes Gesicht mit lächelnden Augen">

My oldest nephew is in 8th grade (https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😭" title="Laut schreiendes Gesicht" aria-label="Emoji: Laut schreiendes Gesicht">), and his school tried to keep the kids in class for a “regular” class period, realized that wasn’t a good idea, and restructured classes to be 15 minutes of instruction, an assignment, then come back for lesson closure.

He also said that some of his teachers get frustrated with technology and end class early, so please practice your tech and only use what’s meaningful and impactful to instruction. Routines work, so it’s okay to use the same platforms often. Less is more.

And please cultivate a virtual environment of grace—grace for yourselves, your students, and technology. Be open to allowing your students, digital natives, to help when they can. Learning works really well as a two-way exchange of new ideas.

My nephew tried to help his English teacher with tech issues & was shut down. The kid knew how to categorize his favorite games on my phone before he could say “Aunt Mel.” He started teaching himself to code by 10. In less than a month, he dislikes a teacher.