Educational Insights: The Transformation Pathway
The Last Day of School: A Teacher’s Reflection on Navigating the Pandemic
It was the last day of school, and it barely felt like school. I was standing in front of a classroom of students who braved public transportation to attend. I was fielding complicated questions while wiping down every desk between classes and reminding myself to breathe. Saying goodbye to my students that day was different; it felt heavy and scared.
In the hallway, my colleagues and I exchanged glances that were both tense and comforting. We were all in this together, even if we were about to part ways for several months. When school as we knew it stopped, we all took a long minute just to process that. It seemed impossible.
As a teacher, I knew that 400,000 students in Chicago alone needed to learn from home, and we would need to make that happen. We had to adapt, and fast. We learned to host online meetings, hang whiteboards on our living room walls, and reach out to our students to see if they were alright. We had to organize food drives and housing resources, make and donate masks by the thousands, and never stop reaching out.
But this isn’t new. This is teaching. This is being invested in our communities. As parents, we’ve had to adapt too, because our working lives and our family lives and our mental health have all collided and coagulated. We’ve all cried at the kitchen table at least once.
And then there are the students. I’ve seen them participate in class from the break room at work, where they are frontline for minimum wage to help their families. They’ve attended a makeshift funeral in the morning and a Google Meet in the afternoon. They are experiencing housing insecurity, they are scared, they are stressed, and they are children.
As I reflect on the last day of school, I can’t help but think about the four big ideas that we need to focus on to transform education: engaging parents, demanding equity, supporting the whole student, and rethinking assessment. These ideas are not new, but they are necessary.
First and foremost, we need to engage parents. We need to ask them what they need and what their children need. We need to meet parents where they are and support diverse learners. We need to prioritize children’s wellness and protect neighborhoods from housing instability and attacks on immigrant communities.
Secondly, we need to demand equity. Our school system currently serves a student population that includes 75% low-income households and 90% students of color. We need to close the tech gap and stop making choices that pit schools and neighborhoods against each other. We need to care about other people’s children and not just our own.
Thirdly, we need to support the whole student. We need to focus on social-emotional learning, smaller class sizes, and arts education. We need to provide students with the resources they need to feel safe, process their trauma and grief, and find their way back to school.
Lastly, we need to rethink assessment. We can dial down the testing and consider alternative models, like proficiency-based grading programs. We need to stop making school about scoring better than the kid next to you and start enabling students every step of the way.
As we move forward in this pandemic, we have a moment to seize. We can make a system as massive as Chicago pivot to better serve our students, their families, and our communities. If we can relearn our jobs in a weekend, we can change school systems to better fit what we know and what we’ve known for a while now. It won’t be easy, but it’s our only option.
Teachers, Students, and Parents: Navigating Remote Learning Together
As the pandemic hit and schools closed, we found ourselves in uncharted territory. Teachers, parents, and students were all thrust into remote learning without much warning or preparation. It was a challenging time, but we all rose to the occasion and adapted as best we could.
Teachers had to learn how to conduct online meetings, hang whiteboards in their living rooms, and even organize food drives and housing resources. Many teachers struggled to reach out to their students and ensure they were doing okay. Meanwhile, parents had to balance working from home, taking care of their families, and helping their children navigate this new world of remote learning.
And then there were the students themselves. Some attended class from their workplace break rooms, where they worked for minimum wage to support their families. Others attended a makeshift funeral in the morning and a Google Meet in the afternoon. They faced childcare responsibilities, housing insecurity, fear, stress, and all the challenges of remote learning as children.
Despite all of these difficulties, we learned to navigate remote learning together. We learned to engage parents in the learning process, beyond the traditional parent-teacher conferences and bake sales. We needed to ask parents what they and their kids needed, and meet them where they were, rather than isolating them from the learning process.
We also needed to demand equity in our schools, which currently serve a student population that includes 75% low-income households and 90% students of color. We needed to close the tech gap and get rid of the rating systems and budgeting formulas that punish kids for their zip codes. Instead, we need to prioritize the well-being of all students and support the whole student, not just focus on academic achievement.
Finally, we needed to rethink assessment and dial down the testing. Standardized tests take up too much time and money, and they do not provide a complete picture of a student’s abilities. Instead, we need to consider alternative models, like proficiency-based grading programs, and keep the conversation inclusive by enabling students at every step.
Navigating remote learning was not easy, but we learned to do it together. We must continue to demand better for our students, their families, and our communities. We need to make our school systems work better for everyone, not just a select few. And most importantly, we need to remember that we are all in this together, and we can accomplish great things when we work together.
Four Big Ideas for Transforming Education: Engaging Parents, Demanding Equity, Supporting the Whole Student, and Rethinking Assessment
As both a parent and a teacher, I have seen firsthand the challenges facing our education system. The pandemic has only highlighted the need for transformation, and I believe there are four big ideas that can help us achieve this: engaging parents, demanding equity, supporting the whole student, and rethinking assessment.
Firstly, engaging parents is critical to creating a successful learning environment. Historically, parents and teachers have been isolated from each other, but the pandemic has provided an opportunity to change that. We can learn from each other and work together to support our children’s learning. This means moving beyond the traditional parent-teacher conferences and bake sales and asking parents what they and their kids need. By doing this, we can build a collaborative and inclusive learning community.
Secondly, we need to demand equity in our education system. Our current system serves a student population that is predominantly low-income and students of color. This is unacceptable. We need to close the tech gap, provide equal access to resources, and get rid of the rating systems and budgeting formulas that punish kids for their zip codes. It’s time to put the well-being of all students at the forefront and support the whole student, not just their academic achievement.
Thirdly, we need to support the whole student. This means recognizing that education is not just about academic achievement but also about social and emotional well-being. Students need social workers, nurses, and counselors in every school to feel safe and supported. We need smaller class sizes and adequate staffing across the building. And we need to prioritize art class, physical education, music programs, and computer science. If we want our students to be well-rounded individuals, we need to provide a well-rounded education.
Finally, we need to rethink assessment. Standardized tests take up too much time and money and do not provide a complete picture of a student’s abilities. We need to consider alternative models, like proficiency-based grading programs, and stop making school about scoring better than the kid next to you. By doing this, we can create a learning environment that values and supports each student’s individual strengths and abilities.
In conclusion, transforming education is not an easy task, but it is necessary if we want to create a better future for our children. By engaging parents, demanding equity, supporting the whole student, and rethinking assessment, we can make a real difference in the lives of our students. Let’s work together to create a learning environment that is inclusive, collaborative, and supportive of all students.
The Importance of Engaging Parents in Their Children’s Education
As a teacher and a parent, I have seen firsthand the positive impact of parental involvement in their children’s education. Historically, we have isolated parents and teachers, schools and neighborhoods. We have parent-teacher conferences, a STEM night, a bake sale, but the influential forces in a kid’s life rarely intersect with any depth.
However, with the pandemic, parents are inadvertently eavesdropping on classes and seeing how school happens, or doesn’t happen, at home. This presents an opportunity to engage parents beyond bake sales and conferences. We can ask parents what they and their children need, in every language, and meet them where they are.
Parents can provide valuable insight into their children’s needs and interests. They can help prioritize their children’s wellness, support diverse learners, protect neighborhoods from housing instability and attacks on immigrant communities. So many parents will tell us right now that they can’t support their children’s learning if they can’t support their families. We need to listen to them and work together to address these challenges.
Engaging parents also helps build a stronger relationship between home and school. When parents are involved in their children’s education, students perform better academically and have better social and emotional outcomes. It also helps teachers understand the unique challenges and strengths of each student, which can inform their teaching approach.
In this pandemic era, we have the opportunity to rethink how we engage parents in their children’s education. It may be awkward and messy, but it can also be a chance to bridge the gap between home and school and build a stronger, more supportive community for our children.
Demanding Equity in Education: Closing the Tech Gap and Prioritizing Students’ Well-Being
As the pandemic continues to expose the inequities in our education system, it’s becoming more apparent that we need to demand equity in education now more than ever. One of the biggest issues facing many students is the tech gap, which has been exacerbated by the pandemic. In Chicago, for example, 75% of students come from low-income households, and the lack of access to technology has made remote learning even more challenging for them.
Closing the tech gap is not just an option anymore, it’s a necessity. We can’t keep making choices that pit schools and neighborhoods against each other for resources. We need to get rid of the rating systems and budgeting formulas that punish kids for their zip codes. We must prioritize students’ well-being, especially those from marginalized communities.
To achieve equity in education, we need to care about other people’s children, not just our own. We must demand equal tech infrastructure for all, smaller class sizes, adequate staffing, social workers, nurses, counselors, and access to art, physical education, music programs, and computer science. We need to enable our students to learn empathy, balance, and time management, and give them the tools they need to process their trauma and grief.
We have a moment now to make a massive pivot and better serve our students, their families, and our communities. We can refuse to accept what is not possible and demand better. It’s time to set clear expectations for our school districts and our cities and work towards a more equitable future.
Supporting the Whole Student: Social-Emotional Learning, Smaller Class Sizes, and Arts Education
As a teacher, I believe that education goes beyond just academics. It’s important to support the whole student, which includes their social and emotional well-being. This has become even more evident during the pandemic, as students have had to adapt to new learning environments and cope with the stress of the situation.
One way to support the whole student is through social-emotional learning. Students need to learn skills like empathy, self-awareness, and relationship building to succeed in life. To do this, we need to prioritize the hiring of social workers, nurses, and counselors in every school. We also need smaller class sizes and adequate staffing across the building, which teachers have been advocating for, to give students the attention they need.
Arts education is also crucial for supporting the whole student. It allows students to express themselves creatively and can help with their emotional well-being. Programs like music, physical education, and computer science should not be overlooked. As we rethink education, it’s important to consider how we can better support the whole student and provide them with a well-rounded education.
Rethinking Assessment: Moving Beyond Standardized Tests and Grades
Assessment has always been an essential part of education, but the way we assess students is changing. The traditional method of relying solely on standardized tests and grades to measure student achievement is no longer adequate. As educators, we must look beyond these traditional measures and find new ways to assess student learning.
One way to rethink assessment is to focus on formative assessment rather than summative assessment. Instead of simply assigning a grade at the end of a unit or semester, formative assessment allows teachers to track students’ progress throughout the learning process. This can be done through a variety of methods, such as regular check-ins, quizzes, and peer evaluations. By providing ongoing feedback to students, teachers can help them identify their strengths and areas for improvement, and adjust their learning accordingly.
Another way to rethink assessment is to hug alternative forms of assessment that better reflect the diverse ways in which students learn. For example, project-based assessments allow students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in a more authentic way, by applying what they have learned to real-world problems. Performance assessments, such as presentations and exhibitions, allow students to showcase their creativity and communication skills.
Finally, we need to recognize that assessment is not just about measuring what students know, but also about fostering a love of learning. By creating a culture of assessment that values curiosity, experimentation, and risk-taking, we can encourage students to see assessment as an opportunity for growth, rather than a source of stress.
In conclusion, rethinking assessment requires us to move beyond the limitations of standardized tests and grades, and instead, hug formative assessment, alternative forms of assessment, and a culture of assessment that values learning and growth. By doing so, we can create a more equitable and effective educational system that prepares all students for success.
Seizing the Moment: How We Can Transform Education for the Better
The past year and a half have been challenging for educators, students, and families alike. However, it has also been a time of reflection and reevaluation of the education system as a whole. As we move forward, it is essential to seize this moment and use it as an opportunity to transform education for the better.
To start, we must prioritize equity in education. This means closing the technology gap and ensuring that all students have access to the resources they need to succeed, regardless of their background or socioeconomic status. It also means prioritizing students’ well-being by providing social-emotional support and smaller class sizes.
Arts education is also crucial in supporting the whole student. It provides a creative outlet for students to express themselves and helps develop critical thinking skills. We need to make sure that arts education is not treated as an afterthought but rather an integral part of the curriculum.
Lastly, we must rethink the way we assess student progress. Standardized tests and grades do not provide a complete picture of a student’s abilities or potential. Instead, we should consider alternative assessment methods that take into account a student’s unique strengths and talents.
In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the flaws in our education system, but it has also presented an opportunity for change. By prioritizing equity, supporting the whole student, and rethinking assessment, we can transform education for the better and ensure that all students have the opportunity to succeed.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the current state of education has undergone significant changes over the past few years, especially with the pandemic. With remote learning, the role of parents in their children’s education has become even more crucial. At the same time, it is essential to prioritize students’ well-being and bridge the gap in technology to ensure that no one is left behind. Social-emotional learning, smaller class sizes, and arts education can help support the whole student, including their emotional and mental health. And finally, we need to move beyond traditional standardized testing and grades to create a more comprehensive assessment system that considers all aspects of a student’s performance. By incorporating these ideas, we can transform education for the better and create a more equitable and inclusive learning environment for all students.
