Page 98 - EdViewptsSpring2021

New Possibilities in a Challenging

Time: Connecting Our Students

With STEM Professionals

By Christopher Edwards, Assistant Principal at Kreps Middle School,
East Windsor

“It’s so hard to connect with ourselves? As I had more time over with in high school and college, who
students during this time.” the summer to reflect on this new way are also my professional network as
of learning and how we can still reach
they represent a variety of expertise.
“We can’t keep them engaged.” “It’s our students, I tried to leverage the I’ve always wished there were more
extremely difficult to make the material possibilities rather than dwell on the avenues for them to engage with
interesting in this setting.” challenges. Although being behind a our students as they have so much
Both teachers and administrators have computer screen is not the ideal method knowledge to impart on the next
echoed these sentiments throughout of communicating and connecting with generation. Because of the convenience
this pandemic, which has forced us into students and families, it does allow of Zoom and all of our students having
remote and hybrid learning settings. for connections that were not always access to the internet and a personal
I’d be lying if I said anything about this available in the past. Focusing on device, this was the perfect opportunity
experience has been easy, but at the this allowed me to brainstorm new to make this connection.
same time, you can’t focus on just the opportunities for our students. As the world around us continues to
negative. We’re constantly encouraging We all have a professional and personal change, one constant is the progression
our staff and students to be resilient, but network. One thing that I’m extremely of STEM (Science, Technology,
how can we expect them to think this proud of is having a personal network Engineering, Mathematics) based
way if we’re not engaging in resiliency of close friends that I’ve grown up careers. There are two very interesting

Educational Viewpoints -96- Spring 2021