A Dream Deferred

March 13^th 2020 was over a year ago but when I walked back on campus for the first time in over a year last month,  it felt like only yesterday. 

May 2021, on campus in my office

When I started this journey of creating STEAM opportunities for our middle school students, I had no idea what was to come. By the time March 2020 rolled around, our Makerspace was
being used most days by teachers from all subject areas, our Zspace lab was being reserved by teachers more and more, and our All-Girls Robotics Team was coming off a phenomenal year of competition, ready to take on the next challenge. 

Then the world stopped. But education did not. 

During the stoppage, our students rose to the challenge; we have had over 95% attendance during distance learning. The National Junior Honor Society students found virtual ways to make their community a better place, and we had students taking community college classes in addition to their middle school course load. They were resilient as they faced illness, loss, and so much uncertainty.  

And that uncertainty was not just something our students faced. This past year created challenges for educators the likes of which we have never seen. Teachers are trained through years of school and almost constant professional development to engage students, create opportunities for collaboration, and develop social emotional health through lessons and communication. But in the blink of an eye, all of the tools we had at our disposal were taken away. So we did what teachers do. We pivoted. We figured out what worked and what did not, we attended more professional development, we learned new engagement strategies, and we kept on teaching.
 
Over the next few weeks we will wrap up this school year within our hybrid mix of in-person attendance and online learning. We will begin to plan for next year. I am excited for what comes next; having our students on campus again, reopening our innovation spaces, and creating new opportunities for our students to explore the world around them. The world has started up again, and still education rolls on. 

March 2020, at home in my office