Ask any educator about the pendulum effect in education, and you will likely get the same response. Teachers who have taught for ten or more years have not only heard of, but also experienced the familiar back and forth of researchers aiming to determine the best, most effective ways to educate children. One study will prove phonics instruction is the most reliable way to teach a child to read. A few years later, a new study will show that the whole language approach is the way to go. Back and forth the pendulum swings, and teachers are left on the frontlines trying to sift through the data, make informed decisions, and effectively teach the young minds in front of them. It can all be quite overwhelming. At the end of the day, though, we all share a common goal: to meet the needs of our students and make them as successful as humanly possible. With thirty years in education under my belt, I have lived through more than my fair share of educational trends. A perfect example can be found...
"It is both a blessing and a curse." I have heard this said in many situations in my life. It was not until March 2020 that I began to live this expression out in my daily life. We all hear that date, March 2020, and a flood of emotions and memories fill our minds. It was at this time that I found myself not only fearing the introduction of Covid to our community, but also fearing the task facing me in my library. In the two years prior to 2020 I watched daily from the windows in my ancient library at O.M. Roberts Elementary in Lake Jackson, TX as our beautiful new school building was being erected. I saw the land being cleared, the ground being broken, and the contractors moving in to build our new school. I had a prime view of the entire process. What a blessing! It was only a curse occasionally. The noise from construction was a little overwhelming in the beginning. Surprisingly it became something I didn't even notice as time went on. I remember watching the progres...