What a year 2020 has been. A friend opens her door at the end of every year just before midnight and she, her husband and son bang a drum, ring chimes and make as much noise as possible. This year she’s thinking of adding an air horn to get the bad chi away quickly.

I was interviewed by Vicky Davis for her excellent 10 Minute Teacher Podcast series. My session will appear next month.

Vicky asked several thought-provoking questions. One was what surprised me from the interviews with school tech leaders. While not exactly a surprise, overwhelmingly interviewees said teachers stepped up to rethinking instruction. Having spent years trying to persuade teachers to enhance learning with technology, I felt this was an excellent result from a tough time. Teachers had to learn new tools, change their instructional methodology, and find ways to engage students without being in the same room with them. They did what teachers do best – take students from where they are, to a better place through teaching and learning. One of my interviewees, Darryl Loy, said his instructional tech staff were “giddy” with the possibilities of having teachers embrace technology.

Another major finding was the importance of relationships. Teachers who had relationships established with students found the most success when schools closed suddenly. But teachers who hadn’t been able to establish relationships were challenged. The same students who were unengaged during class time in physical buildings, ghosted when learning went online.

There are good things from this time. One is the world of work. More jobs have gone remote than ever before, and organizations are rethinking work in general. Educators can prepare students for remote work by modeling and teaching the best practices for remote learning and teamwork. 

This is a unique moment in time with a major shift in education and work visible to everyone. Educators can model and teach best practices for online learning and teamwork and prepare students for school, college and eventual careers. Embracing this time with effective teaching and learning will provide the foundation all students need for now and the future.