Becoming an ADE in 2015 reinforced a lot of what I was doing in my classroom and stretched me to try new things. The Institutes and Academies in Miami, Berlin, Houston, Austin, and Bethesda felt a lot like the the golden age of teaching to me. Ideas were flowing, I was being validated and supported, and my students were mostly engaging in creativity in the writing classroom.
And when the shift to remote learning took place in spring 2020, I felt really prepared. Honestly, the transition was an easy one for me. A lot of what I was already doing was remote/hybrid/asynch friendly. And I sat in this place of comfort as our in person ADE events went virtual. These things were working and while it was disappointing to miss out on in person events, I still felt pretty confident.
But there were slow leaks in my creativity and passion. Teaching remotely and asynchronously (and even the face to face felt differently when I returned) started to drain my creativity and passion. I relied on what worked already and, while that may have seemed to be fine to an outside observer, I was running on autopilot. And running out of fuel.
It is still a bit of a struggle as my teaching and learning environment has changed. Let's call it a funk or a plateau. Attending ADE 2023 in Dallas did not completely solve this dilemma for me. But it helped, a lot. I heard similar sentiments, met fantastic people, and heard new ideas forward. So what I am left with, as summer nears an end and fall semester is upon us, is a bit of Robert Frost: "the best way out is always through."
What ways have you reignited your passion and made it through?
August 27, 2023
You summed it up brilliantly. I too feel the same way.
Starting back to school this past week, I felt an excitement I hadn't felt in a while. I already feel more creative this year, than in the last few years. But it has been a struggle to get myself to think differently again.
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