Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Courage is the power of the mind to overcome fear.” At PNA, “We educate students to be exceptional learners and independent thinkers of vision, courage, and integrity.” Students at PNA demonstrate courage just by coming to school during a pandemic. Students also practice courage daily during Morning Meeting and Closing Circle. They not only speak in front of their peers but also share a belief, something about themselves, or their knowledge on a topic, knowing that not everyone will agree with them or understand. ​

​This week, students learned about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. They listened to the story, Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Doreen Rappaport and looked at cause and effect to understand what Dr. King stood for and the courage he had. They also made a timeline of his life and listened to parts of his most famous speech, “I Have a Dream.” Students then reflected on our world today and what they would like to see change. They then wrote their own “I Have a Dream” speech, which will be typed and displayed at PNA in the coming week.

To honor Dr. King, students have been preparing another performance for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. They have partnered up to read, comprehend, and perform poems about Dr. King and what he stood for. Through this, students recognize the kindness of similarities and the beauty of having differences. They will demonstrate courage by not only presenting these to their classmates but also to a live audience on Zoom. ​

​Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. also said, “No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance.” I know that, although the fear of speaking isn’t the same strife and dangers that Dr. King faced, these first graders will use these skills to overcome challenges and fears to do what is right and use the love they shine on others to uplift humanity, as they do for me.

Our class was ready to take a trip out of Anchorage and out of 2020! So, this week students brought out their great imaginations and traveled on Tuomi Airlines, not only to places around the world but also back in time! ​

After packing our suitcases and passports, we selected a destination on the map and took our seats for take-off. We ventured to Israel, Sweden, Mexico, Africa, Germany, Italy, and Australia to learn about the different holidays celebrated this time of year. ​

Upon arrival, students learned new facts about the winter holiday that originated from each destination. They were delighted to learn that Christmas is celebrated during Australia’s summer season and loved seeing pictures of animals with all the Christmas decorations. ​

Next, students listened to a story about how locals believe the holiday started. For example, students listened to the legend of La Befana, an old lady that now flies on her broom each year leaving presents for children in Italy. ​

​Finally, they watched a real life video of the festivities going on in each region. In Mexico, students saw the different ways families celebrate Las Posadas. Many shared that they did not know people in Mexico made pinatas!

Once we finished our adventure in one place, students added the stamp to their passport, and prepared for take-off. ​

To me, Thanksgiving is not only a time to reflect on what we are thankful for, but also a time to be with family, and (for a teacher) the perfect time for students to do a project that focuses on family. So, over Thanksgiving break, students worked from home with their loved ones to create a doll that represents one of their ancestors from a country their family originated from, and I have to say that I was so presently surprised and awed by the results. ​

Next, students were given a problem and began working their way through the engineering process to solve the problem. ​

​After choosing a problem, students began brainstorming and planning a solution to their problem.

Next, they began creating their new inventions with items like tin foil, plastic bottles, feathers, pipe cleaners, and stuffing to complete their task. ​

At last, students reflected on their inventions. What worked? What could they improve? Some had the chance to improve and test their inventions multiple times, while others chose to continue the process at home. Either way, students knew it was the process that was most important, and they had a blast!  ​

Scientists today look to animals and nature for inspiration on how to make human lives easier and longer. For example, our airplanes are shaped like birds, burn victims are treated with fish skin, and scuba fins for diving look like the fins you see on some marine mammals. Researching the capabilities and adaptations of plants and animals is especially important today as scientists search for a cure for things like cancer and Covid-19. 

As scientists in our world look to nature for cures, the scientists in our classroom are looking at the Driving Question: How can humans learn from the way plants and animals use their external parts to survive? The real-world problem of the pandemic might not be solved in our classroom, but these independent thinkers are definitely excited to think like scientists and learn about how animal parts help animals survive and see how humans are inspired by them.

As we research, students are not only learning about science but are also working on their reading skills and discovering how much we can learn through reading. This week students listened to the fairy tale "Little Red Riding Hood" from our StemScopes science curriculum to see what animal parts help the wolf use its senses and survive. As we look at how each animal, like the wolf, uses its parts to survive, we go back to our Driving Question. In this case, students realized that animals can inspire our writing.    
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After hooking students with this fairy tale, we listened to the story, What if I had Animal Teeth by Sandra Markle. This put our small scientists in the shoes of the animals, taught them some fun facts, and set them up for our project on animal teeth. For this project, students selected an animal and began recording facts they already knew about their animal’s teeth. After recording their background knowledge, students helped me look at unknown vocabulary and inferences we could make on the texts about elephants and beavers, so that they could do the same for their own animals. These reading skills not only help readers understand the text but also help them see how we connect things we know with new facts to come up with answers to questions that may not be answered directly. 

In the coming weeks, students will continue using technology and reading skills to explore animal parts. I’m excited to see what their new facts, inferences, and imaginations come up with. Maybe, with the vision and independent thinking these students exhibit, these small scientists will grow up and create a new invention or cure inspired by nature.

As we enter this last full week of school, I am shocked as I look back at how much time has past since we started distance learning. When we first began this new "adventure" I wasn't sure how I would even begin to teach first graders over the internet. So much of what we do and learn happens in our togetherness, in the messy work of classroom activities, and in the daily hands-on work children are meant to be doing. Yet, here we are, our final trimester coming to a close and I see that my students have learned new skills and even mastered new content. 

As we moved away from our comfortable and stable schedule and into the arena of PBL for the final two weeks, I felt panicked. In the classroom, I can answer questions immediately, guide my students through each step of the project, and help them see the purpose behind their actions. Doing PBL virtually has not been without its challenges, and I can see that it's not ideal for young children; however, even with its challenges, first graders have shown up and presented their ideas, wonderings, and creations all on a digital format. Not only did these 6 and 7 year-olds transition to a virtual learning platform, navigate new technology and programs, conquer poor zoom connections but they also stretched themselves to learn about a topic they were interested in, create, and manipulate their pages in an online book creator. I am proud. 

I haven been reading some distance learning blogs during this time at home and trying to figure out the best way to serve my students. I read something on EducationWeek.org that stuck out to me recently: The more that we teach remotely, the more I believe this. If we can accomplish one or two things a week and continue to build reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills along the way, we are doing it right. We have kept it simple and allowed our students the chance to breathe. There is no need to overload them with work and stress in an already stressful time.

So, although our schedule and routines have changed and our workload is ever-changing, it is the consistency of communication and connection,  as well as the development of confidence and independence, that is important during this time. I see the work my first graders are completing and I know that they will move on to 2nd grade with confidence and a resiliency that will carry them much farther than any additional word list I could have given them.

These past few weeks have been nothing short of interesting. There has been a lot of trial and error, a lot of laughs, frustration, questions, and a lot of screen time. However, I would take a lot of screen time over not being to connect to my students any day. Although learning has taken on a different appearance since we have jumped into distance education, I still feel lucky to be able to log into Zoom each morning and see the bright and wonderful faces of my students. I laugh out loud when I read or listen to their stories, I love to see the interesting responses in Seesaw, and I long for the small groups where I can work on specific skills and focus on each child. 

Even though we are not elbow deep in classroom projects, I feel that learning is still happening. Students proudly displayed their animal habitat dioramas, mastered their understanding of suffixes, created stories and pictures, practiced comprehension - all online. It's not ideal but it is working and I am so proud to see the resiliency that PNA's first graders are displaying throughout all of this. However, it is not only the first graders that are showing resiliency. Parents also deserve an applause as they have not only become co-teachers, but have also had to maintain all the other aspects of running a home and job from their house. We will all come out of this experience with a new set of skills that we might never have developed otherwise. I guess you call it the silver lining, or so to speak.

I will say, I have absolutely loved having a smaller student-teacher ratio this year. It has allowed me to work with each child in ways not possible with a larger class size. A small class size is also proving to be invaluable during this time of distance learning. Some children need more academic work and to be challenged in certain areas, while others mainly need a friendly, familiar face to ask about their day and learn about their favorite toys. Some of my students thrive on a large workload yet some thrive on simple and comfortable connection. I know my students. I feel for them and love on them and I miss them. They have gone from these tiny kindergartners that arrived in my classroom last fall and have grown into these resilient, growth-minded, young scholars. PNA is  not merely an academic institution for any of us. It is a refuge, especially during times such as these. And I cannot wait to give them in-person hugs and high fives in the fall!

These past two weeks have been nothing short of a whirlwind of changes. We all anticipated returning from Spring Break and jumping back into our regular school routine of morning meetings, building challenges, math and word work, and social interaction. Yet, what we encountered was a new reality; a quick transition to distance learning in order to ensure the safety of students, faculty, and families due to the arrival of COVID-19 in our lives. Were we prepared to jump headfirst into distance learning? No. However, I was amazed to see and experience the resiliency of our PNA community as we transitioned to an online platform with an amazing amount of communication, flexibility, and grace. 

I have to admit. I was nervous. I still am in ways on how I can best serve my students. Yet, my main concerns were "How am I going to continue to help my students grow? How can I be the teacher they need me to be? How can I recreate what we have in the classroom through a screen?" Well, all I can do, all any of us can do, is our best. I still see my students growing as they challenge themselves to spell new words and find patterns in their reading. To have a student struggle over a word in a text we are reading together and then master that word, reading it independently in their books shows me that they can still grow and learn regardless of how that material is delivered. I know that I cannot recreate what we have in class; our classroom - and school - is a unique place. Yet, to see each other's faces during morning meeting, to talk, share, and listen in small groups, to discover, to laugh and be silly - these are all present online and are all components of what we have in our physical classroom. It's not the same but it is still rich and full of community.

This past week I feel we have fallen into a sort of rhythm. My days are full of back-to-back online lessons, working with my students and trying to meet them where they are and trying to push them a bit further. Art and Spanish rolled onto the scene and students were able to have online class and interactions with their specialist teachers. I was able to see the growth of my student's plants, listen to their recordings of their classwork and thoughts on virtual field trips, as well as feel confident that my students are ready to move forward with more challenging work that will prepare and have them ready for 2nd grade. As with all challenges, we must modify our normal and do our best with what we have. I feel that our families have shown tremendous flexibility and our students have shown tremendous GRIT, and I hope that we can establish this distance learning as our new normal so that we can make the absolute best of our time together while we all work together to make our community, and world, a healthy place again.