Celebration, Grief, and Optimism

September, 8, 2020

Dear Colleagues,

As I sat down at my desk in the Kravis Center last week, trying to figure out where to begin, I noticed that the 2019-20 Loomis Chaffee calendar was still open to March. Curious as to what I had missed, I flipped to April, soaking in all of the hope and promise that last spring had to offer, and then stopped abruptly at the photo for May, picture above. I carefully took in each and every detail of that 2019 graduation picture: the colors, the smiles, the joy, the celebration, all the pomp and circumstance of a Loomis Chaffee graduation. But that wasn't what held my gaze for the next few minutes. What held my gaze was Jalen Desravines' ('19) high-five. I remember that moment vividly and can still hear the quick, brisk slap of hands, the ensuing laughter, the celebratory whistles. This seemingly simple, formerly ubiquitous act, connotes such optimism, a way to celebrate, to connect, to say without words, but with a reverberating sound, "I see you, recognize you, and want you to know that you are outstanding." What I felt that morning at my desk however, was not joy or optimism but a sense of grief.

It has proven challenging to distance myself from feeling a sense of loss as an educator over the past few months. For anyone who knows me well, I am an eternal optimist; this optimism however does not stem from the desire to wash away my or others' aches and pains - I have suffered enough disappointment, heartbreak, and loss over the past decade to either imagine or believe that one can simply replace grief with optimism. My optimism stems from believing that joy is around the corner and is fueled by moments like the one captured in the May graduation photo and all that this simple act represents. My optimism takes root knowing that a moment will arrive unexpectedly and remind me that something better lies ahead. That moment for me happened two weeks ago, in the most unexpected place, in the most unexpected way.

On our bikes two miles from the top of Mt. Greylock, storms threatening, thunder rumbling to the west, hoping desperately to make it to the summit before the skies let loose, every push of the pedal getting us closer yet doubt filling my mind, I heard a car pull up next to my husband and someone yell to him. In response, my husband responded questioningly "Easter?" They then pulled up alongside me, and the driver, wearing a yarmulke, leaned over his son in the passenger seat and yelled, "Hanukkah or Easter?" I smiled and responded "Easter!" He smiled back. "I was hoping to blow the Shofar for you!" Stunned, I heard a laugh come deep from my belly and said, "Oh, please do!" For the next quarter mile, the driver of that open-top jeep proceeded to blow the Shofar, creating one of the most magical, beautiful, resonating sounds I had ever heard. That lovely, encouraging sound, and that wonderful act of humanity helped propel my husband and me up to the summit...right before the skies let loose.

This unexpected event exemplifies my optimism and the reason why I firmly believe that we can do the work ahead of us. As cliche as this may sound, know that someone is blowing the Shofar for you, pushing you up the mountain, and believing in your ability to get to the summit. Yes, I am mourning the loss of what could have been. I am grieving not being able to teach, interact, laugh, connect, share stories in the same way that I have for the past three decades in the classroom. At the same time, I am also making sure to have faith in knowing that eventually, and yes, I am confident in this, eventually, we will all return to giving high-fives again.

Congratulations to you all! You made it through the first week of classes and are poised to settle in for what will be a great year. Perhaps not what you had planned but hopefully full of small moments of joy, faith, and optimism just the same. I hope you had a wonderful weekend.

Rachel, Harrison, Matt, Fiona, Miles and I will be here to learn and grow with you, to guide you on your journey toward excellence in teaching and to high five you along the way. The Kravis Center will offer drop-in times during FT1 on Wednesdays from 2:00-3:00 and on Thursdays from 3:45-4:45. Mark your calendars! Details on Zoom rooms for drop-in sessions are below.

Have a wonderful week, and we look forward to seeing you in a drop-in session soon!

Sara, on behalf of the Kravis Center

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Teaching online, in-person, and asynchronously

The Kravis Center strives to provide the most up-to-date information about learning during Covid-19 as possible. If you have any questions, concerns, suggestions, please join a member of the Kravis team during the Wednesday (https://loomischaffee.zoom.us/j/4512570408) and Thursday (room 3761940791) drop-in sessions.

This Wednesday, September 9, will be a tech Q & A with Matt Johnson, Fiona Mills, and Sara Deveaux. (https://loomischaffee.zoom.us/j/4512570408)

Thursday will be Q & A with Rachel Nisselson and Miles Morgan. (Zoom room https://zoom.us/j/3761940791)

We will provide soon a link to all of the resources from the Kravis Center Summer PD program.

On assessments:

What to do About Cheating on Assessments in Virtual Learning, EdBlog - As we build our curriculum and design assessments, the question of academic honesty continues to surface. I know that each department has tackled this topic collaboratively and each is developing ways in which to provide authentic assessments in which students will not to use Google in dishonest ways. That being said, we also know that there may be circumstances may not allow for this. Let's keep talking and collaborating, and sharing our solutions to this and other issues pertinent to teaching and learning in Covid-19.

Grading During the Pandemic, Joe Feldman and Douglas Reeves, ASCD. Grading for Equity by Joe Feldman is on many educator's bedside tables. Here's an updated converstion from those that took place this spring with the author of Grading for Equity.

On Optimism:

Awash in Optimism, NYTimes, Science Times September 8, 2020 - published online on September 2, 2020 Interesting read on how continuing optimism propelled these two former college students to develop potential treatments for ALS.

Coronavirus: How to Stay Optimistic, NY Times. An article from last spring... and still relevant.