I’m not quite sure of the exact moment I knew I wanted to be a teacher, but I do know that while creating my Kindergarten memory book when asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I drew myself as a teacher (and a cheerleader). I loved school with an exciting, invigorating passion from the beginning. My mother was a para-professional who helped children learn to read, so phonics was something I began learning before ever starting Kindergarten. The way groups of letters made certain sounds was fascinating to me. Over the years, my simple, inquisitive interest in phonics evolved into a love for writing and literary analysis.
During my sophomore year in high school, my English teacher, Mrs. Terry, allowed me to use this love of writing and analysis to process one of the most challenging times in my life. Every day in her class, we were to write in our journals for 10 minutes. When my parents separated, and eventually divorced, I asked Mrs. Terry if she would mind if I wrote about what I was going through instead of the prescribed topics. Without hesitation, she said yes and told me she would only read the entry if I placed a checkmark at the top of the page.
Given this choice, I wrote in my journal A LOT. I learned that I enjoyed analyzing song lyrics and making connections to my own life. While it is slightly embarrassing to write about now, my 16-year-old self needed it. I needed to be given the choice to write about what made me angry, sad, and confused and make connections to things that made the most sense to me.
When the world around me was complicated and ugly and chaotic, Mrs. Terry provided me with a trusting, supportive environment where I had room to explore my own thoughts.
While I always knew I wanted to be a teacher, at this specific time in my education I decided that I also wanted to become a high school English teacher so I could provide teenagers with the same opportunities and experiences Mrs. Terry provided me.
When I began my first teaching job as a high school English teacher in 2015, I began learning how to do just that. It took a couple of years, but I finally realized that by giving my students choice, ownership, voice, and an authentic learning environment, I was able to tap into a place where true learning occurs. And it was FUN! Now, I have to admit that I never used this terminology. I had no idea what COVA was or what it stood for, but I can confidently say that even as a young educator, I noticed the benefits of COVA very quickly. When I began to move away from the textbook and the traditional models of teaching like most of my colleagues followed and started creating projects and assignments that were more engaging, learning didn’t feel like work anymore, and my students began to thrive.
I also found that the greatest student outcomes occurred when we used technology to enhance their learning.
I loved, and still do, keeping up with the latest tech tools and having my kids use them to show their learning! While in the classroom, I enjoyed providing the choice of creating podcasts and videos, along with blog posts and other digital creations, just to name a few. As I stated earlier, I didn’t realize at the time I was using the COVA approach, and I also didn’t realize I was just touching the surface of blended learning.
During COVID-19 when our school shut down, I was asked by my principal, who knew my passion for technology in the classroom, to create a website for the teachers in our district with how-to videos and information on the most popular educational technology applications and tools. This sparked my interest in blended learning and the pedagogy behind technology in the classroom more than ever before. However, it wasn’t until I created what I thought would be a short, quick bell ringer the year returning from the COVID-19 shutdown that I saw the greatest impact of blended learning.
In order to “hook” my students before reading the short story “What of This Goldfish, Would You Wish?” by Etgar Keret, I had them open a Padlet via Google Classroom. I had posted the question: “If you were granted 3 wishes, what would you wish for?” Students were to answer this question anonymously. After a few minutes, their answers began to project on the board. While there were a few of the typical wishes one would expect from a 16-year-old, such as millions of dollars and marrying Rhiana, most of the students’ wishes were from a place of longing, sorrow, and heartbreak:
Wish for my mom and dad to live in the USA
More money to help my parents so they never have to worry
Be able to talk to people more easily
Wish for my mom to come back into my life
Wish to not be judged for who I am
Wish for clear skin/longer thicker hair and a prettier face
Wish to never have a divorce
And so on. . .
As I read their responses, I was overwhelmed with emotion. Tears streamed down my face as I watched my kids be so vulnerable, and I couldn’t help but think back to my own heartbreaking experiences as a 16-year-old. While my heart broke for them, I was thankful they felt safe enough to share their deepest wishes.
In the midst of what I thought would be a silly little bell ringer, I was reminded of the reasons I became a teacher and WHY I find technology integration so important.
I was reminded of my WHY: I, more than anything, want to provide each unique individual who walks into my classroom the opportunity to tap into his or her talents, creativity, and abilities to help him or her learn, grow, and flourish. I want to provide each student with innovative experiences that build confidence in who they are and what they are capable of all in a safe, trusted environment where they feel loved, accepted, and encouraged. With this monumental moment, I learned that by utilizing technology I am able to provide my students with an entirely different experience, and, with technology, I am able to achieve my WHY.
With the love I have for technology, sharing experiences such as these, and helping other teachers create innovative experiences in their own classrooms, I have enjoyed my shift from classroom teacher to District Instructional Technology Specialist. In this role, I am able to help teachers with technology integration, curriculum design, provide professional development and so much more. While I am obsessed with the opportunities technology in the classroom brings, I have learned that there are many teachers out there who do not share in my excitement. Post-COVID-19, many educators were apathetic to technology and wanted to go to the “old way” of paper and pencil.
Getting teachers on board with the belief that "pixels and pencils" can coexist has been a challenging task.
I believe the issue with this acceptance is the lack of blended learning pedagogy. From my experience, teachers do not understand how to approach blended learning, so many simply don’t do it. For the teachers who do try, there’s always something new coming out and just when they’ve got one thing down, something shinier comes along. They feel as if they have to learn it all when in reality, they don’t. At this point, they shut down and return to familiar, comfortable methods, despite the desire to incorporate new approaches. Traditional classroom models still take precedence.
Additionally, when teachers have been submerged in a traditional model of teaching and learning for so many years, it is hard to let go of the control and autonomy that comes with it. I stated earlier that it took me a couple of years to start moving away from the traditional ways of teaching. This was due to being surrounded by seasoned teachers who frowned upon collaboration and innovative ideas that were not their own. It was hard to break away, but I’m proud to say I listened to my gut and began creating lessons that were much different than my colleagues. Eventually, other teachers took notice and we began collaborating, forming PLCs, and sharing ideas on how to get our students engaged. I started a Shared Drive for each grade level and we organized it by 6 weeks. While this wasn’t utilized by everyone when we started, by the time I left that particular school district, every teacher in the English Dept. was utilizing the shared drives, collaborating with their teams, and integrating technology into their classrooms.
Change in education is not fast, as I learned very quickly in my early days of teaching. Teachers’ shift in thinking is on their own time and when they are ready. I have also learned that the beginning of positive change starts with empowerment.
When teachers feel empowered, there is an inevitable shift in their teaching and learning.
Through the implementation of a Blended Learning Leadership Program, I hope to begin this shift. As I stated earlier, many teachers do not understand the foundations of blended learning; therefore, they cannot confidently implement it in their classrooms. With the Blended Learning Leadership Program, I hope to inspire and empower teachers as they gain the tools and knowledge necessary to properly and confidently implement a blended learning environment in their classrooms. Every teacher has the opportunity to provide engaging, innovative experiences for their students, they just need the support to do so. While my yearning for student growth and success will always be my foundation, my newest passion is providing teachers with opportunities to learn and grow in authentic learning environments that provide choice, voice, and ownership so they can experience, firsthand, the positive, engaging, innovative experiences blended learning can bring.
References
Harapnuik, D., Thibodeaux, T., & Cummings, C. (2018). COVA: Choice, Ownership, and Voice through Authentic Learning: Vol. 0.9 [EBook]. Creative Commons License.
Horn, M. B., Staker, H., Christensen, C. M., & Kim, A. (2015). Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools. Jossey-Bass.
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