OPINIONS
Teachers Must Expand Their Roles Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
Via JNS.org
By Debbie Niderberg | JNS
We are all familiar with the flight attendant’s announcement when we get on a plane, “When traveling with someone who needs assistance, make sure to put on your own oxygen mask first.” When the coronavirus pandemic struck, educators pivoted quickly, translating their curriculum overnight into remote platforms even though many lacked sufficient training. They were remarkable, but it took a toll on them. Anticipating another disruptive semester — and seeing a need to help educators attend to their own needs and recharge, collaborate and plan for another challenging year — Hidden Sparks launched a Summer Learning Summit for nearly 100 teachers from 30 Jewish day schools. The goal of gathering together for a Zoom learning summit was to help teachers cultivate community and student engagement despite the challenges of distance learning and social distancing; to think about what contributes to impactful and engaging in-class and remote learning; and to provide an opportunity for teachers from across the
country to learn with top learning experts and work together in planning for the upcoming year. As most students will look to their teachers to be the stabilizing force in an increasingly unstable world outside of the classroom, our conversations focused on what teachers can do to embed social and emotional learning into their classrooms this fall and help students succeed. Perhaps even more important than ever in the recent past, we need to help students feel connected and cared for. Forming connections with students and families should ideally begin before school begins. Reaching out to students or meeting them in small groups before school starts can help students feel that they are valued members of their class and help ease the return back to school. For younger students returning to physical classrooms, teachers can meet them virtually, one on one to foster the connection to students and help prepare the children for the classroom. A conversation with a parent can help the teacher learn about the student’s
interests, strengths or fears, and form a connection with home to ease a potential transition to remote learning. Once school starts, consistent routines that strengthen the feeling of community and belonging, such as morning meetings or closing circles, can be adapted and continued if need be for virtual classrooms. Jewish day schools face the extra pressure of additional subjects because of a dual curriculum, and traditionally, there has always been a very high emphasis placed on academic achievement. Faced with the impacts of the pandemic, lost time last year and fears of a second wave of the virus, teachers will likely feel increased pressure to cover more ground before the winter. On the other hand, children have experienced loss, anxiety, disorientation and isolation. They are returning to schools and classrooms with complex emotions that will surface. Teachers will need to be attuned to this, to validate what their students are feeling and support them. Educators have a critical role to play in creating classrooms that feel
Letters » The Feds Invited Themselves As the rhetorical answer to the title of the editorial “Who Invited the Feds?” (July 30), the Portland invasion served as the perfect pretext for President Donald Trump to distract attention from his gross incompetence in
responding to the pandemic that has claimed the lives thus far of more than 150,000 Americans. Neither Operation Valor nor Operation Legend, as far as Trump is concerned, has anything to do with the proper role of federal law enforcement activities in cities throughout
the country experiencing waves of violent crime and protests. As Mary Trump, the president’s niece and a clinical psychologist has written, he “requires division. It is the only way he knows how to survive.” Barry Dwork Alexandria, Va.
safe and comfortable, and that help students address their emotions so that they will be more prepared to learn. One of the most powerful lessons we can model for our students is how we approach challenges. Enabling students to discuss what they cannot do legitimizes those feelings, but thinking about what they still can do helps them reframe the challenge and focus on what they can control, fostering resiliency. Educators, in many ways, have been on the front line of the pandemic since its start. They have rapidly pivoted from in-class to virtual teaching, and, in many cases, have seized opportunities to run special “feel-good” programs, all while often managing their own busy households. We are living in unprecedented times that call on us to wear multiple hats as teachers, guidance counselors, healers and hopeful leaders. Our students will learn from us by example as we model life lessons in compassion, resilience, hope and dedication to community. J T
Debbie Niderberg is a co-founder and executive director of Hidden Sparks, a coaching and teacher-training program helping diverse learners and all students in Jewish day schools succeed. As a result of the success of the Summer Learning Summit, Hidden Sparks will be offering additional back-to-school workshops for teachers and schools this summer and fall.
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