Author: 4ckn8

Relieved. Happy. Exhausted. These were just some of the adjectives teachers mentioned when I asked them how they were feeling about the school year coming to an end. Of course, the way in which it ended may not have been how we wanted, but there is something comforting about closure all the same.   I had lunch with a friend recently and she talked about the events in her life as a series...

“Do you have any kids?” I once asked a colleague. “Absolutely. I have a classroom full of ‘em,” was the response. I laughed and walked away, but that thought stuck with me. Let’s face it – some of the best mothers in our lives weren’t our mothers, in the biological sense, at all. A surrogate mother is a person who takes on all or part of the role of a mother. That sure sounds like...

“Look Mr. St. Romain!  I’m upside down now,” said one of my students. We were having a virtual social skill lesson when he discovered he could shift the position of his I-Pad and change what I could see. “I’m floating in the air! Cool, huh?” “Nope,” I said. “I don’t like floating around. I like gravity.” He smiled, “Yeah. Gravity’s cool, too.” We all need gravity – or things that keep us...

It’s been an up-and-down week for me – and unfortunately, things started on the downward side. On Monday, the finality of how this school year will end hit me like a ton of bricks. I was feeling frustrated, powerless, and sad. Once I started doing my virtual responsibilities for that day I looked up and it was time to go to bed.   When Tuesday rolled around things got better. Our staff...

On Friday, our governor announced mandatory school closings for the remainder of the year – at which time the reality of our current situation slapped me in the face. “Everything has changed,” I thought – and people are scrambling. This point was further driven home yesterday when I saw over thirty vehicles with their hazards flashing in line on an otherwise deserted thoroughfare. It wasn’t...

So, I go back and forth between extreme states of being concerned and feeling blessed. Concerned for people – out of work, struggling with finances, worried about their families, caring for their parents, dealing with health issues. And then, blessed – blessed I can work from home, am in good health, have family and friends for support. As much as I feel discombobulated bouncing between...

“Have these people lost their minds?” It’s a question I’ve asked myself on several occasions this week. Novelty escalates behavior – and with our norms being tossed out the window, everyone seems to be scrambling to find stable ground. But sometimes a hint of calm can surface in a sea of crazy.   Yesterday it was cold and rainy – which I normally love – but given the weather,...

Today marks the Ides of March – so, beware. How fitting this is. You might recall in the play Julius Caesar, a soothsayer warned of impending doom and gloom. Okay, I’ll admit. Caesar got stabbed roughly 23 times, so in that instance, pushing the panic button was appropriate. However, given our current health crisis, I offer a different warning.   I was scheduled to present in Ohio...

“Welcome back, brother.” These were the words that greeted me as I was reacquainting myself with the city of Edmonton, in Alberta, Canada. I had just told the Uber driver it was my third time visiting. The friendly greetings did not stop there.   On several occasions throughout my stay, individuals offered a smiling face and kind words. What caught my attention, however, was the number...

Behavior change takes time – and sometimes the process moves along so slowly that we can’t even see it when it is occurring right before our eyes. Add to this the fact that the changes are often more evident in our internal mindsets than our outward behaviors and it is understandable why teachers often get frustrated with the seemingly lack of progress some students make. This past week I had...