There’s no sense in trying to get around it: This has been a difficult school year, and educators are facing a lot of unknowns and stresses as schools look to reopen and reset in the fall. In this context, creating connections and community among educators is a “must do”—not a “might do” if there happens to be extra time. To get more insight on the challenges and opportunities ahead in this area, I recently spoke to my colleague Jéri Ogden, ASCD’s director of professional learning community, about her work in supporting educator collaboration and empowerment.
In this interview, Jéri highlights the need for grace and flexibility in schools (not to mention a little more space for teacher leadership) as educators confront changes and complexity in the transition to a new school year unlike any before. She also shares some world-exclusive details about ASCD’s new professional community platform, which will be launched during our annual conference next week. According to Jéri, this will be a place—the place—where passionate educators can connect with their peers from around the world to guide their own learning, build out the conversations they want to see, and simply find solace in knowing they are not alone. Sounds like perfect timing.
Listen to the full interview:
