As educators, if we set our priorities and sights on what is best for kids, decision making and problem solving come a whole lot easier.
Last weekend, I sat in a live audience at my mom’s dance studio’s annual recital. The theme of the recital this year was RISE. One of the songs played during the recital was “Rise Up” by Andra Day. To me, this song completely embodies what my mom and so many other educators have done over the past year since the COVID-19 pandemic began. As I sat and listened to this song play during the recital, I couldn’t help but reflect on my own journey as an educator, both last spring and during this school year, while also feeling proud of what my mom has accomplished with her business during a global pandemic. My mom worked to solve problems by rising to challenges and finding solutions. Because of this, her students lost no opportunities.
First, my mother’s dance studio was shut down in March of 2020, just as all other non-essential businesses were. After a couple of days, when we all realized that the shut down was going to last for more than two weeks, she set up dance classes through Zoom for her students. They just kept dancing. She encouraged social media challenges with prizes and yard signs and kept her students connected in every way that she could. When it was allowed by our state’s governor, after many months of keeping her doors closed, she opened her studio back up for in-person classes. She followed CDC guidelines and city ordinances, everyone wore masks, she taped six feet sections off on her dance studio floor, and they all just kept dancing. Over the past year, her studio has held 3 live performances to small audiences while still following CDC guidelines and city ordinances. Since audience numbers had to be kept down she also live streamed her shows so that nobody had to miss out. Basically, I’m proud of my mom, but I’m also making an important point that there is a solution to every problem and where there is a will, there is a way.
Next, as educators during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been faced with many problems. Big problems. Problems that at times have seemed too difficult to overcome. But instead of giving up, we rose up. We have risen to every challenge and solved problems to get things done for our students AND for each other. I’m very fortunate to work on a great team at my school. We solve problems together. We get things done. Over the past year, we’ve delivered instructional material, food, and technology to our students’ homes. We’ve put on events with protocols and guidelines such as parades, graduation, and prom. We’ve learned to use all of the resources at our fingertips, solve problems, and not make excuses. We’ve had in-person instruction since the beginning of the school year. Students have continued learning, growing, collaborating, and participating in extracurricular activities. Where there is a will, there is a way. There is no need for looking for ways out or reasons why something can’t be done, especially when it comes to doing what is best for kids.
Finding solutions is not always easy. We have learned that it can be very, very hard. But, I have experienced first hand that it can be done. There is always a solution to every problem, you just have to be willing to work hard enough to find it.
