I have been working with countless educators over the past few weeks, all of whom are tirelessly learning new skills, tools, and strategies to design learning experiences to students, in this new environment of a distance and/or hybrid context. As educators in Fall 2020, we are all akin to first year teachers – leading learning in a classroom of our own – though this year, in a virtual setting.

Many educators are frustrated and fatigued – facing setbacks such as student devices that were not created to run a video call and multiple tabs simultaneously, unstable wifi in student homes, resources/curriculum that while familiar in the past, were not designed for a virtual model. And so, daily “failures” have become the norm. How might we not merely survive, but begin to thrive in the midst of these challenges?

Celebrate Small Wins

What went well today? Start with this when planning for tomorrow. Did one more student attend your class or engage in asynchronous work compared to the day prior? You are making a difference. Did you get more sleep last night or spend a few more minutes with your family yesterday than the evening before? This is worth celebrating. Combat the natural negative bias in your brain by beginning with a positive, no matter how small it may seem. Small wins lead to greater success. It is a snowball effect, each seemingly insignificant celebration building to the next.

Give Yourself Grace

You are a good teacher. You know how to reach students in a physical environment. Our new context is far from ideal. You were not trained to teach during a global pandemic. And that is ok. Focus on what is most important – people, relationships. This begins with you. Take care of yourself. A teacher told me often, “If you don’t take care of your body it won’t take care of you”. Students do not need a virtual lesson that as you prepared it, left you with a couple of hours of sleep and negatively impacted your health. Your students need you. During times of stress, connection lowers anxiety. Our students and their parents are facing unprecedented and unforeseen circumstances. The best support you can provide them is being there, and being your best self. Your presence, your consistency in being available to students during the school day – this is what is most important. Give yourself grace when you feel an academic lesson was ineffective. It is YOU that is most impactful in your students’ lives. Reflect, and continue to move forward.

Refrain from the Search for a Silver Bullet

Everyone in education is continuing to learn what is most effective for this virtual/hybrid environment, through action real-time research. A teacher asked me yesterday what the research says regarding the best way to implement distance learning. While there is research regarding online learning from before the pandemic, we are in a completely different context. Entire schools, districts, regions, even states and countries have pivoted at large scale – by necessity, in an unprecedented time of unforeseen circumstances. The best research you can do is your own. Try one small change at a time. If it works, build upon it. If it fails, iterate and or try something different. You are a scientist in this environment. Be observant, experiment, refine, and be confident in your abilities as a professional.

The growth I have seen in educators over the past few weeks has been more significant than I have ever witnessed in my decade of career experience in the public education system. Many of the educators with whom I work do not recognize it. They are understandably in survival mode. Rather than focusing on the inevitable glitches, reflect upon and celebrate your learning. Think back, prior to 2020 – perhaps you had never hosted a video call, or organized your LMS class as extensively as you do now. Maybe you now know how to create a website, or add a hyperlink to a document. You are better now than you were before. And this movement forward will continue. Celebrate your wins. Thank yourself. And know that you are appreciated.