Page 25 - DistanceLearning

I’ve been an educator for 10 years, and more may not have wanted to learn the
than anything else, I feel that building posi- dance or participate in the challenge Leveraging the ability
to have everyone in one
still found a sense of community by
tive relationships in all parts of your school voting for their favorite submission. digital place, I introduced
community is integral to your overall success. Once I saw this level of participa- weekly challenges to stu-
tion, I was excited to share another.
dents and staff. These chal-
Knowing students’ names, jumping into a badminton game during gym lenges became a way for
class, personally relating to fellow faculty members, and working with a We followed that challenge up with kids to “see” some of their
small group during a math lesson are a few ways I try to build a positive a pet challenge, where students and friends and teachers from
school community and climate. By engaging in the activities mentioned, staff submitted photos of them with their new makeshift class-
I feel that I’ve helped further cultivate the family like atmosphere that their pets, a pushup challenge where rooms and engage with
my principal and other assistant principals established long before I got you had to complete ten pushups each other in a fun way.
here. When I heard we would have to switch to remote learning, I imme- with some background music high-
diately questioned how I would continue to cultivate this feeling. lighting your personality, a trick shot
challenge where you had to post a creative trick shot using items that
One thing kids at any level of schooling enjoy about the school environ- you had in your house, and my favorite one, the #dontrushchallenge. The
ment is being around their friends and teachers and engaging with one #Dontrushchallenge really brought all of our students and staff together!
another through jokes, games, group projects and competitions. This The #Dontrushchallenge consisted of another viral video where people
type of interaction is challenging during these unprecedented times. In take a quick video of themselves in lounging clothes, before completing
order to address the need for these interactions, I used my interest and a quick change into something much more formal or more representative
familiarity with social media to my advantage. In my time of social dis- of their personality. This was a staff favorite! We were able to put together
tancing, even though I may not want to admit it, I’ve spent a lot of time extensive videos from teachers and staff at all three grade levels, which
Tiktok watching, Twitter scrolling, and viewing pictures and videos on also included our whole administration team. Staff really enjoyed seeing
Instagram. No matter the site, there were a number of dances and activ- their colleagues’ submissions and being able to connect with them in a
ities that caught my eye. Because of this, I decided to use some of these way they haven’t been able to since we’ve gone remote.
ideas to my advantage with students and staff – knowing that they were
probably watching these videos in their own homes as well. We are planning on continuing these weekly challenges throughout the
rest of our remote learning experience. What these challenges and their
I created a grade-wide Google classroom where both students and staff responses have further emphasized is the need for both students and staff
members could join. Leveraging the ability to have everyone in one to look at school as a place of fun and positivity. Obviously, making sure
digital place, I introduced weekly challenges to students and staff. These students are receiving high quality instruction and providing teachers with
challenges became a way for kids to “see” some of their friends and academic support are integral to success, but providing outlets for the
teachers from their new makeshift classrooms and engage with each school community to engage in lighthearted activities especially in times
other in a fun way. The first challenge went out to everyone during the such as these, is just as important. Being able to see both students and
second week of remote learning. It was the #leanwitit challenge. The staff alike, that you may not always expect, submit videos and pictures
#leanwitit challenge consisted of performing a viral dance to a specific into these competitions has been unbelievable. As much as I’d like to
song that I found on Tiktok. I felt the best way to get students and staff think I know my students and staff, I’ve been able to learn so much more
to really jump into the challenge was to make a video of myself perform- about them through something as little as these weekly challenges. I hope
ing the dance. I made sure to pick the right outfit and put my own twist that even as we prepare for whatever the new “normal” is going to be, we
on it before posting it to my Google Classroom page – I take this stuff never lose sight of how important climate and culture is for both children
seriously! Upon posting the challenge, there were over 20 submissions and adults. If your climate and culture keeps the idea of family and togeth-
from students and staff, and I was ecstatic about the number of entries. erness at the forefront, the possibilities for what school can continue to
Not only were there 20 entries, when it came time for students and staff evolve into as we push through this challenging situation is very exciting!
to vote on their favorite video, we had over 250 votes! Students who
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