Stop and Take a Breath

Today's tech tip stems from a conversation I had with a teacher today. She shared a story with me about how important it is to stop and just take a breath. This was advice another educator gave her. It seems simple, but we don't do it often enough. Take a moment and think of all of the new things you have tried in the last year, all of the things you have learned, and the risks you have been willing to take. All of this to enhance the learning opportunities for students.

Of course there are days when it is overwhelming. There are days where we think we need to be doing more. There are days when we don't think we can do one more thing. There will always be more to learn, more to try, someone doing something new. However, it isn't about keeping up or being the first to try the next new thing. We need to be comfortable going slow, taking one step at a time, and making decisions based on the needs of our learners.

Yesterday we handed out iPads to all of our freshman students, but we have been preparing for over year. Today, as I visited classrooms, I saw excitement from both teachers and students. Teachers were engaging students in new ways, collaborating in ways they couldn't before, and being flexible in the learning process. The iPads we handed out will open up so many opportunities for our students, but the biggest difference will always be our willingness to learn and grow along with our students.