Day 2 of National Teacher Appreciation Week - This Time, a Shout-Out to Student and Cooperating Teachers (and their Supervisors)

I'm excited to be part of a National Writing Project initiative led by Dr. Susan James, in which a request is made of everyone (in and out of school) to think about their favorite teachers and to reach out to them). With Deborah Hopkinson's permission, the book is being read online with the hopes it inspires others (that is why I began thinking about Alfred Tatum, Kelly Gallagher, and Nic Stone yesterday).

Today, I am thinking about the 31 student teachers who, halfway through their student teaching placement, were suddenly moved online to (a) teach, (b) be coached to teach, (c) be coached to teach in an environment very few new how to teach in, and (d) teach at a time where the unknowns were more plentiful than student excuses for not having their homework done. We needed to applause them, their cooperating teachers, their school districts, and our supervisors. We welcomed the Keynote address of Bellinger Leadership Award Recipient, Dane Brown. We finger-snapped the words of seminar instructors. We patted colleagues on the back.
And we were patient with the fact that after weeks and weeks of ZOOM meetings and classes, my system decided to freeze and take the audio out.

I was the host. Eeks.

So many cheers for Emily Smith and Ryan Colwell stepping in to make it go smooth. I was frustrated. Still, I was able to move my slides and they could present without me emceeing. I just couldn't give my final remarks, which were a blend of Jason Reynolds, goldfish, starfish, and feathers. Alas, that was to lead to A Letter to My Teacher, and an invitation to join the National Writing Project effort. Those remarks needed to come via email.

We just never know.

But I am proud of my colleagues and this cohort for all that they accomplished. We're in this together and our lives have not stopped with quarantines and stay-at-home directives. In some ways, we've worked harder than ever before.

That is the nature of teaching. It's what we do, and I'm proud of it --- proud of them --- proud of us.