Education is at a pivotal crossroads with schools experiencing many changes. There is a pendulum that consistently swings back and forth in educational policy. We are currently in a rapid movement on that pendulum with shifts towards blended learning, small group instruction, and increasing technology tools to supplement best practices. Every day I see teachers working hard to keep up with the changes to stay relevant for the students. Because that's who this is all for. The students. They are our customers, and they are what drives every decision that is made. And the great teachers I know work every day to make sure their plans will engage every student.
In my four short years of teaching, I have witnessed many changes within our school building, our district, and our state education policies. I would be naive to think this is the only time in my career that I will experience such vast changes. However, after one full week back at school, I have realized that there is one constant amidst all these changes. The constant is the teacher. The teacher is the constant image students will associate with "school" between the many innovative changes. When asking students about their favorite class, they most likely reply with a class where they felt like the teacher truly cared. The variables within education do not define the classroom experience. Students need more than a research based instructional method. Students need a teacher who guides them during some of their most defining years in their life. State mandates do not ask students how their football game went, and iPads do not console a student on a bad day.
At this point last year, I felt overwhelmed while trying to adjust to a 1:1 iPad classroom with instructional shifts to blended learning. Now that I start year two, I can reflect on what really makes a classroom work. It comes down to the teacher. The relationships formed with my students will dictate how any innovative instructional practice is perceived by them.
As we educators begin this trek through the changes, we must always remember that we are the ones who will never go away. As we spend countless hours outside the classroom learning new tricks and adjusting past lessons to fit new practices, we must remember that sometimes the students just need us to smile at them. As we have those days throughout the year when we feel bogged down and burned out, we must remember that we are making a difference for some students just by being there.
We must remember, we are the constant amidst all the variables.
