“Smooth Seas…

…never made a skilled sailor.” FDR said it first, according to my research, but this morning on the news I saw this remark made by Dallas Maverick Kristaps Porzingis after a disappointing loss to Houston. The quote is not new, but I appreciated the way he used it and followed it with the idea, “we will bounce back.”

Believe me, I know that the Seas of Education are never truly smooth, but heading into the next couple of weeks, I am aware that they will be especially choppy. I am having to step outside my comfort zone and use technology that hates me. I am going to have to wear a mask while teaching. I have no philosophical objection to this, but my floor show will be impacted. I won’t be able to interact with the kids like I usually do. I have a new group of kids…ones I’ve never taught at all. This is an unusual situation for me…

I have such faith in my colleagues, however. I have faith in myself, too, which I probably should have led with. It is going to be as unpredictable, chaotic, and dangerous as this fella Isaias is. We are going to learn new ways to do old lessons, or maybe we will discard the old methods altogether in order to meet the new challenges. It is not in our nature to quit on these kids. I will meet Zoom head-on, Schoology, too, and we will come to an Understanding. We will emerge on the other side of This with even MORE tools in our toolboxes. We will also bounce back.

Ahoy, Matey.