BCISD Curriculum Connection
End-of-Year 2020 Edition
Save My Seat!
Celebrate Graduates!
Click Below for End-of-Year T-TESS Clarification
You Can Get a Jump on Training for 2020-2021
Don't forget your GT training hours
Solution Tree PLC Institute Postponed
Families Can Choose to Take Optional End-of-Year Assessments at Home
Child Abuse Reporting Is Still Open
We Welcome Help as Meals Continue Into Summer
School Offices Will Have Modified Re-Openings May 26th
ICE funds are still available... but not for long!
End-of-Year Thoughts: Apocalypse or Awakening?
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary has multiple meanings for the word apocalypse, and one of those common meanings is “a great disaster.” Some would say that the COVID-19 pandemic is an apocalyptic event in terms of health and safety as well as economic stability. You may have felt, justifiably, that this was a great disaster of a school year’s end. I’d like to challenge you to reflect a bit deeper.
The word apocalypse is derived from the Greek word apokálypsis which translates to “uncovering, disclosure, revelation.” Have you uncovered some truths about the business of school during distance learning? I definitely think some important facts have come to light. For that reason, I would rather think of this time as an awakening.
The social media memes and videos of parents begging the teachers to take the kids back are funny. But beneath the surface, I think our society has caught a glimpse of the importance of schools. Teachers don’t just switch on an auto-pilot curriculum for kids and then babysit all day. They provide essential connections, and they provide the “loving push” of expert guidance. Teachers, during closure you worked harder to provide expert feedback to students than ever before, and I am thankful for you and proud of you. You didn’t have the context of a classroom and quick in-person opportunities to speak with kids. You provided both opportunities for connection and expert feedback on student work. Remote communication was inefficient, but more personalized. I think students and families noticed.
The upcoming fall will present us with new challenges. We will need to be deliberate and focused to spend time on what matters most given the lost instruction this year combined with the need for another year of academic growth. Rather than feel overwhelmed (because I can easily slide into that myself), I challenge you to reflect deeply this summer on the areas of awakening that happened this spring rather than the disasters. What did you learn about the students in our community that you can now leverage in a new way? What professional skills did you grow in that are forever in your tool box? What assumptions about teaching and learning were upended? These are awakenings, not disasters. I challenge you to give fresh thought to your August and September start-of-school plans, because this educational awakening has changed us all, including our students.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary has multiple meanings for the word awakening, and one of those common meanings is “a coming into awareness.” An apocalypse is time-bound, but a new awareness is kept forever. I am aware that BCISD is full of staff members with heart and skill. I am aware that our teachers stretched their boundaries to do their best for students. I am aware that some students realized that their learning involves more than getting a number grade on a paper.
I hope you take some naps this summer while you’re off-contract. When we come back together, let’s leverage all we can from this awakening!
I'm proud to be wide-awake with you!
-Rachel