For Dr. Matthew X. Joseph, Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment in Leicester Public Schools (MA), this past year has meant fewer frequent flier miles but a huge increase in his network, albeit virtually.
In this conversation with eSchool News, Matt talks about the importance of these sorts of connections for both students and faculty.
The following has been edited for clarity.
eSN: Talk a little bit about how the pandemic has changed your work.
MJ: One of the things that I have seen coming out of this is the grit and resilience of teachers has gone up exponentially. When the world stops and you have to teach from home, there’s no, “We don’t have time for this.” It’s a “Please help me.” I said last year was emergency education, not remote education. So learning Jamboard, learning how to use Zoom, learning how to use breakout rooms? It wasn’t an option. Now it wasn’t an extra. So one of the things I’ve seen with this pandemic and crisis is the teacher’s willingness to try things and open up their repertoire of toolboxes.
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