Zone Of Proximal Development

Throughout the Covid 19 Crisis we have heard adults from all walks of life speak on the effect that this pandemic has had on our kids. Parents, teachers, politicians, media figures and scholars have described the toll of remote learning on students. The “concerns” have largely focused on issues centered around younger students and their parents: Childcare, “learning loss” of elementary school kids and the developmental effects of screentime. We have not really spent a significant amount of time delving into the issues our older students have been facing. I recall one of my early guests making the astute observation that her high school students were likely depressed. In this episode Justin confirmed that this has been his experience during his junior and senior year of high school. So, my question is: did we fail our High School students by focusing on the needs of our younger kids? What does Covid 19 look like through teenage eyes? Did we drop the ball in supporting our older students? Do they feel prepared for college after a year a half of remote learning? www.zoneofproximaldevelopment.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zoneofproximaldevelopment/support

Throughout the Covid 19 Crisis we have heard adults from all walks of life speak on the effect that this pandemic has had on our kids. Parents, teachers, politicians, media figures and scholars have described the toll of remote learning on students. However, I haven’t seen very many kids represented in the media telling their stories. Last week, I spoke with a middle schooler about his experiences with remote learning. He was very clear about his feelings on the experience. This week I am speaking to a younger crowd: Two second graders help us see the Covid crisis through their young eyes and perspectives. What do the kids think? What does Covid 19 look like through 8-year old eyes? How do they feel about going back to school full time next year? www.zoneofproximaldevelopment.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zoneofproximaldevelopment/support

The Covid 19 Crisis has upended our lives in ways we had never imagined to be possible. We were asked to do our part and stay home to flatten the curb. We have all felt the terrible practical and emotional burden of this pandemic. I have had the privilege of speaking with adults in a variety of roles within the school system, but this week I thought it was time to talk to another demographic in the frontline of the educational system: the student. What do the kids think? What would the kids do differently from the adults running the school system ? How do they feel about Ed-Tech? Please rate and subscribe and find us on social media through our website! Can’t wait to see you next Sunday! www.zoneofproximaldevelopment.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zoneofproximaldevelopment/support

We, understandably, want to get past the Covid19 crisis. It makes sense that after a year and a half of uncertainty, scarcity, and fear, as the vaccines become readily available and cities open up, we want to simply move on. Yet, how do we do that? How do we cope with all the trauma? This week I got to speak to someone who is usually one of the most optimistic I interact with; she is one of the kindest, most down-to-earth people I have known. However, despite her usual disposition, Naomi is skeptical about the ways we go forward from here. She loves teaching, and she will continue to give her students her all. Still, her approach has fundamentally changed after teaching through Covid. Where do we go from here? What’s still important in education and what isn’t? Will teachers ever get a fair shot? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/zone-of-proximal-development/id1557165654 www.zoneofproximaldevelopment.com A Year of Remote Learning: A Teacher’s Reflection on Teaching Through Covid Please rate and subscribe and find us on social media through our website! Can’t wait to see you next Sunday! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zoneofproximaldevelopment/support

Hi everyone! So we're on Spring Break this week (my spring break is super late)... well I a, because my school schedules its Spring Break after State testing. Usually I'm on board with this arrangement, but this year, after teaching through Covid and not getting a Spring Break at all last year (I know... CRAZY TOWN), I would have loved to have it earlier. Here we are though, grateful to have it at all. So, please use this opportunity to catch up on episodes you might have missed and let's link up next week for more Zone of Proximal Development! Stay safe everyone, much love from this side of the microphone! www.zoneofproximaldevelopment.com A Year of Remote Learning: A Teacher’s Reflection on Teaching Through Covid Please rate and subscribe and find us on social media through our website! Can’t wait to see you next Sunday! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zoneofproximaldevelopment/support

How do so many teachers manage to keep themselves sane and on message despite all the issues in our education system? This week I got to speak to one of those teachers who always seemed to know the secret to staying present for her kids and above the nonsense of the system. Ms. Hall taught me to do what I’m told so I can do what I want--to teach my kids. I continue to learn from her all the time and I am so excited for you all to meet her. Whose job is it to teach? Make them think it’s their idea. We’re teachers, let’s teach. www.zoneofproximaldevelopment.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zoneofproximaldevelopment/support

Is it just me or does the nonsense that surrounds teaching go up to 11 in the spring? It’s like a switch goes off on the policy makers and Admins’ minds and they become zombies in BS mode as soon as the equinox hits.Please stop by the Zone of Proximal Development Teachers’ Lounge and help me make sense of all the exasperation, mixed emotions and victories of life as a teacher when you add teaching through Covid to the mix. Everything we thought we knew about education changed this year, so next year, let’s do everything we had been doing before because that makes sense, or something. Failing upwards in educational leadership. How can teachers be proactive in addressing the devaluation of our profession and our humanity? We’re teaching through Covid-19 so we can do ANYTHING! www.zoneofproximaldevelopment.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zoneofproximaldevelopment/support

Everyone I know has gone into teaching from a place of idealism. To enter this field without hope would only cause relentless cognitive dissonance. How can we work with youth and not have faith in change and progress? As time goes on, the challenges we face as teachers can make us feel as though faith in the system of education is misplaced. I’m likely to think it is, but the belief in our students is not. It is that faith that keeps us going despite systemic failure. It is this faith that has likely kept us going through the chaos of teaching through Covid. This week I was reminded that there might still be room for optimism in education. Is there still room for optimism in teaching? How do we find our way back to teaching? What’s the upside of a crisis? www.zoneofproximaldevelopment.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zoneofproximaldevelopment/support

As Americans, we have the bad habit of introducing ourselves using job titles and career paths. Even I, an introvert with a very low tolerance for small talk, find myself telling people I am a teacher before telling them anything else about myself. Teaching is undoubtedly a unique profession and an enormous part of my life. Still, it does not occupy the entirety of my identity. I’m very excited to have this conversation with Theresa, a creative arts teacher, about teaching–the job–in the time of Covid. Is teaching a job? What is the role of the teacher? Are there teachers in the future? www.zoneofproximaldevelopment.com A Year of Remote Learning: A Teacher’s Reflection on Teaching Through Covid --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zoneofproximaldevelopment/support

I love working and exchanging ideas with youth. That is the best part of my job as a teacher. Furthermore, it is always amazing to speak to people at the beginning of their careers as educators. My conversation with Joseph, a substitute paraprofessional filled me with hope and energy. His dedication to our children is beyond evident and highly contagious. How do we check-in with our kids? How do we show up for our most vulnerable kids? How do we celebrate small wins in such a hectic school year? www.zoneofproximaldevelopment.com A Year of Remote Learning: A Teacher’s Reflection on Teaching Through Covid --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zoneofproximaldevelopment/support

As teachers, don’t we sometimes think the weight of the world is on our shoulders? It’s interesting to try to see this process through the eyes of someone in a different role to see how their experiences overlap with ours and to get a peek at what our experiences look like from outside the teachers’ lounge. Please stop by the Zone of Proximal Development and listen to my conversation with Natalia, a Family Engagement Coordinator at a school in the Bronx. Her perspective left me with more questions than answers; as a teacher, that’s exactly what I want when thinking deeply about an issue! What is the role of the school? Where’s the middle for students, teachers, parents, administrators and politicians? How do we support our communities? www.zoneofproximaldevelopment.com A Year of Remote Learning: A Teacher’s Reflection on Teaching Through Covid --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zoneofproximaldevelopment/support

Are you a teacher who can’t figure out how you’re still going despite the exhaustion? Please stop by the Zone of Proximal Development Teachers’ Lounge and help me make sense of all the mixed emotions and physical manifestations of March Madness when you add teaching through Covid to the mix. The kids are the joy! Are you dying or just tired? What work-life balance? Why doesn’t anyone have any answers? Please rate and subscribe and find us on social media through our website! Can’t wait to see you next Sunday! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/zone-of-proximal-development/id1557165654 www.zoneofproximaldevelopment.com A Year of Remote Learning: A Teacher’s Reflection on Teaching Through Covid --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zoneofproximaldevelopment/support

Hi friends, this is a reflection I recorded a couple of weeks ago when I had to go into the school building for Hybrid Learning. I will reference this experience in this Sunday's Episode (3.28.21). Posting it here so you can check it out in the meantime! Let me know if you can relate! www.zoneofproximaldevelopment.com A Year of Remote Learning: A Teacher’s Reflection on Teaching Through Covid Please rate and subscribe and find us on social media through our website! Can’t wait to see you next Sunday! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zoneofproximaldevelopment/support

Are you a teacher who can’t believe you’ve been teaching remotely for a year? Join this discussion between a teacher in the halftime show of her career and another in the first quarter. We discuss the ups and downs of teaching through Covid-19, the challenges and opportunities of remote learning, the differences in teaching middle school and high school through zoom and the larger societal implications of teaching remotely while trying to promote equity. A look back at the beginning of the pandemic. Transitioning to remote learning. Professional and personal challenges. Teachers and education in America in the midst of a crisis. www.zoneofproximaldevelopment.com A Year of Remote Learning: A Teacher’s Reflection on Teaching Through Covid Please rate and subscribe and find us on social media through our website! Can’t wait to see you next Sunday! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zoneofproximaldevelopment/support

Zone of Proximal Development: Teaching Through Covid S1E1 Are you a teacher who can’t believe you’ve been teaching remotely for a year? Join this discussion between a teacher and her mentor about the ups and downs of teaching through Covid-19, the challenges and opportunities of remote learning, and the larger societal implications that have arisen with moving education online. www.zoneofproximaldevelopment.com A Year of Remote Learning: A Teacher’s Reflection on Teaching Through Covid Please rate and subscribe and find us on social media through our website! We really want to start a community of educators! Can’t wait to see you next Sunday! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zoneofproximaldevelopment/support

EPISODE SUMMARY Welcome to Zone of Proximal Development. A virtual teachers' lounge where we as teachers can support one another through the rollercoaster of emotions that is the teaching profession. The first episode drops March 14th, so hit that subscribe button to be reminded of the launch. And in the meantime, come over to www.zoneofproximaldevelopment.com, Instagram @zoneofproximaldevelopment.co or Twitter @zoneofproximal1 and say hi! I can’t wait to meet you! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zoneofproximaldevelopment/support