Future Teacher, Forever Student

“Good morning, Vietnam!” While there are a million different ways to offer someone a greeting, the only one that feels sufficient for our modern crisis is reminiscent of Robin Williams’s cheer and the turmoil of the 1960s. COVID-19 has changed the world as we know it, if not temporarily, and my last semester at Saint Michael’s College has suffered a similar fate to those of other universities across the United States. As educators, we encourage our students to persevere through academic and social challenges. As humans and community leaders, we must continue to do the same. In light of the changes taking place within my licensure program, the next few weeks will be filled with independent study of education-based topics from the safety of my own home. Together with my program supervisor, I have selected a few goals to work on remotely as a way to improve my teaching skills while practicing CDC guidelines and keeping out of a physical classroom. This week’s goal is a continuation of

Hello! After a long February break followed by a short three day return to EMS, Team Nova is back into the full swing of things with our “We The People” debates. Today, students practiced debating their fellow classmates in a similar format to what our debates will look like on Thursday, presenting and fine-tuning their arguments as the ideas of rebuttal and crossfire were introduced. Two practice debates were held simultaneously, with myself and Mr. J. each moderating one set of pro/con groups per class section. In my debates, we proceeded through the protocols slowly, reviewing each person’s arguments, appropriate rebuttals, and proper debate etiquette individually. While some groups will really need to hunker down and edit their arguments before debate day, today’s practice provided helpful insight for both students and teachers: the actual case material seems clear, but the concepts of forming and refuting arguments in a respectful but strong debate have room to grow. With