The pandemic has altered life as we knew it; for me, schools and what we do for education in this new reality is forever on my mind.
This past week, I had to go to the SUNY@ Buffalo campus to pick up a book. The first sign of ‘strange’ was that I had no problem finding a parking space! Once inside the building, however… the hollowness in the halls echoed the reality of a world changed, demanding me to look at the bigger picture.
Schools closed last spring, leaving buildings virtually empty for months.
Fall came, and districts struggled to find a viable solution.
Remote. Virtual. Face-to-face. Reduced size for social distancing. Hybrid… all too familiar words traveling the education lines of communication, affecting millions of children, teachers, support staff and the community at large.
What it looks like… is different. Yet even as we grieve the loss… I am led to view these hallways as a symbol of what can be…
There is a particular hike I am most fond of because of the ‘hallway’ I must pass through on my trek. Nature has carved a majestic corridor of trees that reaches to the sky. These trees are like old friends, which welcome me back time and time again. In their presence I am quieted. I am grounded. And I am reminded that life is all around me, as I breath in their aroma and promise.
Every child should be offered a fieldtrip to a hallway of towering trees. It is a free gift no one should be denied.
It saddens me that field trips may be out of the question this year. But in their place, teachers might take the opportunity to connect with the larger, global world. Virtual tours are taking us to museums and galleries, bustling cities and remote mountain villages. These opportunity can broaden our classroom walls and shrink the narrowness of an us and them society. What a gift, to inspire while we instruct, showing our children the richness that the human race has to offer.
I hope Social Studies takes on a new face across the grades, as educators embrace this moment and its potential. At the very least, I pray that they travel with their students down the corridor of diverse literature. The richness of cultural exposure is a hallowed experience and one we must not deny our children. The fortuity can fill those gaps that the hollowed hallways have made. There is time right now, to be grounded in our global humanity, gathering our strength as a united human race.
I love the parallels that are created between the empty school hallway, the trees, and the “hallway” of diverse books. It has made me rethink my experience as a teacher thus far. Many things have been frustrating beginning this virtual schooling journey, but this post has reminded me of the possibilities. Instead of viewing the empty hallways as a space that once used to be filled with quiet students shuffling through or maybe loud students getting looks from the teacher, we can view the hallway as a path that has not been traveled (an adventure!) and has treasures needing to be explored. It makes me think about how we need to rethink how we do virtual learning. Learning is happening in a different way. Why confine it to the boundaries that were designed for square walls? There are so many resources, and so many untapped talents that can be explored through virtual learning. One thing that has changed that I am still trying to wrap my head around, is the teacher’s ability to “feel” the success of the student. There is nothing like being in the same room as a student, and helping the student come to the realization of the material that they have been taught. When the student understands, the teacher feels the student’s success and uses that energy to build confidence in them self as a teacher. That is very difficult with virtual learning and I am curious to see how this unfolds. Mindfulness practices are a teacher’s best friend! Thank you for this enlightening post! It has definitely given me that extra little push to keep moving forward!
Kaleigh,
I really appreciate YOUR thoughts on ‘Hallways…Hollowed or Hallowed?’ Even while feeling the loss, the next page in the chapter is always there to be written… Keeping BEING present to the possibilities!
Grace