Things to do:

And by the way, do all of these things from your home, for all of your classes, on a computer, working remotely from school.

Looking at that list, how crazy does that sound?  Who in the world would’ve thought that we’d be expecting you to learn like this?  Who would’ve thought that when we began the fourth quarter, that we’d be doing it without actually seeing each other?

No one.

Yet, here we are.  Here you are, doing all of those on that list from the confines of your own home (and let’s be honest, probably from the confines of your bedroom, wearing your pajamas and eating a snack). Ladies and gentlemen, you are now being faced with the biggest test of your academic careers.  Although you have always had ownership in how successful you are in your academics, there is something about this situation that amplifies that. There has never been a time, in all of your years attending school, when the ball has been in your court more than it is now. How will you respond?  That is your test.

A huge portion of how successful you will be during this unprecedented time depends on how you face this test.  How you take initiative and follow through on the expectations being presented to you by your teachers.  As educators, we have a plan in place that consists of you attending “class” daily, communicating with teachers (and vice-versa), and submitting assignments online.  But this plan has one more component: you taking ownership of your academics now more than ever. So how do you do this?

Follow the Carroll plan

Make sure that you are attending your online classes every day.  Complete all assignments, ask teachers for clarification when you don’t understand something, study for quizzes/tests.  This is the absolute minimum that you should be doing. Recognize that if you aren’t doing these things, your grades will be impacted.  

Create a routine

You operate on an academic routine five days a week, 36 weeks a year.  Continue that routine. Put your time in during the day as you attend class and devote some time each night to studying, doing homework, and re-teaching yourself, if needed.  Do not throw routine out the window just because you are not physically reporting to Carroll on a daily basis.

Breathe

Recognize that this process of learning remotely is different.  And it can be hard.  And overwhelming.  It’s okay not to like it and to wish things were back to how they used to be. Take time each night to put the Chromebook away and to focus on a hobby (or pick up a new one).  Throughout this whole transition, this “new normal” as they call it, remember to breathe.

I wish I could tell you definitively when we will be back together in the classrooms and hallways at Carroll High School.  I truly cannot wait to see all of you again and get back to the “old normal”.  But until that day comes, I am counting on all of you to do your part, to take this biggest test of your academic career, and to do it well.