Happy Monday and happy official first day of distance learning in SLPS!

 

I know this is a path we never expected to walk; nevertheless, here we are. I also know that there are multiple causes for concern or anxiety related to effectively reaching our students and doing all that we can within our new platform to support them.

 

That being said, I just want to express my appreciation for the work you have done, for the calls you have made, and for the new learning your have undertaken to be able to present content to students in our current situation. 

 

All of this sparks a memory of an ASCD conference I attended in 2013 where I had the privilege of hearing Maya Angelou speak to a group of educators. She said that teachers are rainbows in the clouds. She said that teachers enhance the possibility of seeing light and opportunity in the lives of so many. Then she thanked us. It was a powerful moment for me and I have had that quote posted in my office and in my journals thereafter as a reminder of the importance of my role as an educator.

 

So today, this week, maybe for much longer, remember that YOU are the rainbow within the clouds for Sumner students. You have the ability to bring the light and the hope to our students in this uncertain time in so many ways.  You are the ones who can show students how to think and how to access opportunities to grow. Thank you for that. 

 

Please reach out for support when needed. Please lift up each other. Please know that today may feel like a slow start. and that is okay. 

 

Thank you for being rainbows in the clouds for our Sumner students.