I kept a brave face on Tuesday until almost the end of the day. But it was really hard to watch the bus pull away and know how fundamentally things could be changing in the weeks ahead. As teachers, our days are filled with a thousand gestures – a smile, a nod, an eyebrow raise – and a thousand moments. There are silly jokes. Gasps of getting it. And questions…so many questions from the mundane (Can I go to the bathroom?) to the profound (Where does an infinite universe expand in to?). There are so many touch points with each kid. I collect so much data throughout the day. As the children come in to the room, I have a chance to greet each one and see how they're doing. When we are in a lesson together, I can scan their faces and know (pretty accurately) who is still confused and who's getting it.
There are ways of doing many of these things on-line, of course, but I have spent the past twenty years honing my analog skills. The past four days have been a humbling whirlwind of finding possible tools, assessing them and beginning to learn the ones that seem like they might work for us. The foundation we've built is solid. I know our students will be able to learn in the weeks ahead. But I want to do more than get by.
These next days will be for developing new tools and traditions that will bring more of the experience of being in the classroom to the Herons at home. How can we spark things together? How can we continue to connect in a meaningful way? How can we keep the Herons being Herons? How can I capture those moments and gestures and touch points? I welcome your ideas and expertise – especially if they're ideas for some of the technology the Herons have already used in the Google suite. It won't be the same, but it can still be good.
We can do this. I know we can. Here we go.
The Rookery 
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