Summer is almost over and soon we will all head back to a new school year. What can we expect to see on that first day? We are hoping for a return to in-person learning. But with late summer Covid surges in nearly every state, we may be faced with a temporary round of online or hybrid schooling.

No matter what happens, we will be ready! But before we can move forward and start writing lesson plans, let’s take a quick look back.

A Challenging Year

The 2020-21 school year was stressful for sure, because of its many twists and turns. First, a return to the classroom…then back online…then the hybrid. Teachers had to adjust to each of these scenarios without any lead time.

Add to that the pressure of making sure the students were social distancing and wearing their masks. There was the very real possibility of catching the virus, and then the scary decision regarding vaccination.

Take Time to Reflect

As teachers, we want our students to reflect on what they have learned. So let’s make some reflection time for ourselves. Think about your own experiences teaching online and in a hybrid classroom. What worked? What didn’t go so well? What are the take-aways from last year and how can we build on them this fall?

In my next post, I will share some lessons I learned from my incredible experience of the last school year. I plan to incorporate these ideas into my teaching this fall, and I’ll explain how!