What a challenging time we find ourselves in as teachers, and we aren't even in school right now!  Seriously, maybe it's just me, but it seems like a new limelight has been shown on teachers recently.  It's like we have been working all summer to prepare our classrooms for an unpredictable year, then numbers of those contracting the virus started rising and a whole new pressure was added.  Like we've got society's nasty pointer finger in our face saying "You'd better go back to school in the fall come hell or high water" with no regard for our (or our students') safety or HOW in the world we'll financially or physically meet social distancing requirements while maintaining our status as institutions of education (not free daycare).

Even through all of that, I still believe we'll come out of this better.  Call me crazy, but I can literally see the field of education becoming better because our hand is being forced in a few areas.

Today's post is about one of the...

It's that time of year again.  The time of year where teachers are doing more reflecting and planning than most people do in an entire calendar year.  You are thinking about your future students, wondering what to expect, imagining the impact you can have, and dreaming of the connections you'll make in meaningful, authentic ways.

If you're reading this right now, I bet you are also the type of teacher who is thinking about ways you can make things better.  Ways you can optimize class time, strategies to increase student accountability and engagement, creative management techniques, the new Pinterest-worthy classroom decor items you can buy, build, and add to your walls, the new folder or mailbox system, and don't forget the new classroom library!

Don't get me wrong, these are all awesome things, exact ones that I have been over the moon excited about over many summers in my teaching career.  I do NOT fault you for these ambitions and goals during this time...