I love complex words. I am teacher and a learner or a learner and a teacher. The two go hand in hand. Learning never ends.
I began blogging at MakingtheDaysCount dot org almost ten years ago when I was teaching 7th grade English Language Arts. Really 7th grade ELA was my teaching assignment and I was really teaching kids. Teaching 7th grade ELA sharpened my curiosity and honed my knowledge of words and word parts……
chron means time, -ous means full of, syn- means with or together, a– means without or not
asynchronous – without any particular time or timing or as Merriam and Webster defines it, not simultaneous or concurrent in time
A few years after my first blog post, I was reassigned and moved to science and a new grade level. I embraced the change because that’s who I am – curious, positive, passionate, resilient, flexible, and determined.
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Last week I learned I was moving again, this time to 6th grade. I’ll will be teaching science (and social studies) but most importantly I’ll be teaching kids.
6th grade is where I started teaching 21 years ago. I have learned so much since I began teaching in August 1999 and I am sure I will continue to learn as I move forward. Believe it or not I still have contact with a few kids from my first group of students – Jessica, JJ, and Matt.
I haven’t been in my classroom in almost five weeks. I miss being in the classroom and seeing my students while they are learning, and I am sure they miss being in my classroom and at school – some more than others.
Since that last day in class I have been e-teaching by crafting e-lessons. The content may be the same, but it is not the same as being in the classroom. After spring break, I learned a new word – asynchronous. That word changed everything for my students and me.
Friday afternoon our governor announced that schools would be closed through the end of the year. The news was expected, but it is devastating when I heard it.
I am still struggling with it and what it means.
Learning in school is more than books and knowledge but learning to work with others and being part of something bigger than ourselves. While I can present information and assign tasks to complete, I can’t replicate the experience of being in a classroom from a computer.
If I can’t be in the classroom, I’ll do what I do best – make the days count. I’ll make the days count working to make connections, share content, assign tasks, giving feedback, and making it all relevant. All twenty-eight days, every last single one of them. Making the days count, one day at a time, even when time is asynchronous.
What is a new word you have learned lately?
I love that word and it is very apropos right now. More importantly, I love our attitude. Making the best of the blessings you’ve been given. You are such an inspiration. I hope your students know – if not now, then someday – what a truly remarkable man you are.
Thanks for sharing your new word!
Patricia Rickrode
w/a Jansen Schmidt
Thank you. Learning to make the best of things and look for light where there is light is something I learned from my mom. Take care and stay safe, well, and healthy! Peace.