by Jenn Drake, Early Elementary Classroom Teacher

I mentioned in an earlier blog post (Zoomed Out) that I was in a total state of reflection, pondering the massive shift we all took last March. While I myself spent much of the past months aching to see my students again, I also got the chance to witness something quite wonderful. And that was the power of family. While I was getting Zoomed out, many families were zooming in. 

Adults in our frantically busy, overworked, stretched-too-thin world were suddenly given the gift of time with their children. Some parents were simply awed by their kids. They got to see the brilliance that I did every day – these kids who could create anything from a box, write fifty books, piece together hundreds of tiny beads into a masterpiece, and write their own songs. They found out that their child had an affinity for cooking, for storytelling, or for communing with nature. They realized an eight-mile ride was possible and started asking, What next? They read books together, and before they knew it, their child was reading books right back to them. 

So when we do finally get back to normal, back to school, back to busy, we need to keep this zoom-in approach because that’s how we really see kids for who they are. All their amazing talents, interests, and inclinations. One of the things I love about our small class sizes and low teacher-student ratio is that it makes zooming in possible. I’m looking forward to meeting my class next year to start that journey with them!