When many students and teachers are counting down the days until summer, my mind is on focusing on fresh starts. We are finally coming out of the darkness of the pandemic, and looking towards what is next. Fisher, Frey, Smith, and Hattie (2021) talk of this next year in their latest book, Leading the Rebound, 20+ Must Do’s to Restart Teaching and Learning. In this timely work, they list over twenty recommendations to consider when starting the new school year. These next 20 days with students are critical, not only because finishing strong is important, but we have the opportunity and responsibility to plant the seeds for student agency and success.
Through the real challenges and exhaustion that many teachers and students are facing, it is tempting to just “get through” and we will take summer to reinvest in ourselves, take a step back to clear our minds and renew our spirit, to return to the fall to start fresh. Those steps of renewal are absolutely necessary, but what we do right now, in these final days will determine what that starting fresh looks like. Fisher et.al talks about taking stock and finding a path forward. Now is the time to engage with our colleagues and list the positive growth in our instructional practices that have occurred over the past year. What have we learned and what is worth bringing with us into our new year? What tools and strategies have been successful? In addition, we need to address the challenges we face right now, and what we predict will continue to be challenging as we return this fall.
Like everything else in this pandemic year, the end of the school year will most likely not be, meaning the reality faced by students and teachers is that extended learning opportunities and summer programming is stronger than ever. Many of our students across the country will be rolling right into summer school programs. Students will have the opportunity to revisit courses they may have struggled with this past year, or hopefully take on new learning paths that enhance and give purpose to literacy and learning. The key element in planning for these programs is what we do right now to ensure that what we offer meets the needs of the students we serve.
My goal for the final push into summer is to view this time as a fresh start. But what does that mean? Katie Milkman, a Wharton professor and author of How to Change focuses her work on the science of making change. It comes down to asking 3 key steps, considering the fresh start effect, identifying barriers, and giving and seeking advice.
Now is the time to take advantage of the “fresh start effect”. As we come back to campus and begin a new school year, the blank slate of the new year is an opportunity to forge real change. It is the time to dream of what is possible and to create real and lasting differences for teaching and learning. In these final days, it is crucial to generate lists of what we have learned, the strengths we bring, and the vision we have for what our schools should look and feel like as we open our doors. For example, the use of our digital instruction has grown exponentially. We now have platforms and digital content that can be harnessed as we plan our instruction for summer and fall. How can we harness the best of these digital tools as we reinvent our courses for the fall? What are the challenges we face in restructuring learning? Thinking about possibilities is only the first step, developing an action plan for change means that we also need to address the barriers to that success.
In my experience, it is easier for students and teachers to find the barriers to success than it is to define our strengths and successes. Let’s face it, we are exhausted and many are feeling overwhelmed. Now is the time to list the barriers and challenges not as a laundry list of excuses, but instead as a way to identify how to work through them. For example, engaging students as we build our summer programming will be challenging. Many of the students who will need extended learning time are the very students who are feeling the stress and burn-out from our year of distance learning. Giving them more of the same will most likely prove ineffective, and at worse, will cause more disengagement. Now is the time as leaders and colleagues to engage in conversation with students and families to create programming that will support and engage the students you serve.
Seeking the advice of students and families right now may feel overwhelming, but it is this step that brings about the most lasting change. In my current teaching setting, I am working with students who will most likely need extended time in the summer to complete their courses. Discussing what is engaging, what works for them, and what doesn’t will help to create a positive feeling about summer programming. Offering alternative assignments based on student interest will promote engagement and self-advocacy. Rather than view extended learning time with a focus on remediation, let’s use this time to coach students on how to rebuild their own sense of agency and help them identify their own strengths and areas of growth, then support them in reaching their goals.
Finding the balance this summer between innovation and rejuvenation will be challenging. Making the most of our time with students right now, engaging in data analysis, and asking the right questions will go a long way in ensuring that we can effectively plan a successful new school year for both staff and students.