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| Author: Dylan Williams Oak Grove High School |
As I typed, I found myself wishing that I had a physical journal dedicated to the institute like the previous year. When I type, I find myself getting a lot more out quickly, but I also find myself deleting more than normal too. I spent so much time typing and erasing that I wasn’t able to construct my list into any type of poetic structure to mirror the model poem. When time was called, we did as we always do: share. We concluded by discussing the interdisciplinary applications of the activity. Carrying our discussion further, we debriefed to reflect on what we liked and didn’t like about doing this digitally. Overall, this writing into the day went really well. Where I struggled with typing rather than writing, others viewed this as a boon. So, by the end of our writing into the day, we had effectively settled in, written, held a dialogue, and self-assessed the elements of the day thus far. By the end of our first activity, I did realize that the uniqueness of the environment of the SI was still preserved to a degree. It is bland in comparison to being in person, but I still find myself sitting quietly and listening intently trying to absorb what the fellows say in the same way I did in person.
Even with the physical distance between us, the desire to grow the site and progress individually was clear. This fact became most evident in our discussion of Jim Gray. We looked at a shared document that many site leaders compiled of qualities they believe represent the “it” quality that effective teacher consultants possess. The group that has gathered in South Mississippi displayed many of these qualities on our second day. They give well thought out and meaningful insight into the topic or concept under focus, they are intentional and thoughtful in their criticisms, and they are willing to work hard because they recognize the value of the site's work and the importance of propagating its values.
Our progression continued with the immersion into National Writing Project (NWP) culture through reading and discussing NWP Building New Pathways badge Framework. This proved beneficial by focusing us on the importance of our work and distracting from the fatigue which accompanies long Zoom meetings. We read together and we worked in a shared planning document writing our thoughts as they relate to the ISI social practices. I read some thoughtful comments, but that number of people working in one document came with some difficulties: trying to type where someone else is, making space for your thoughts, and deleting others writing accidentally (while they were working on it even) were some of the issues I faced. However, I still felt as though I had a better understanding and increased focus concerning the work that we will be completing as we move into the rest of the SI.
As is too often with online meetings, time ran out. We moved quickly toward the end, but the close of the meeting was focused on the work to come. It was reflective in the elements that worked and those that didn’t from the previous two days. The expectations were clearly stated, and there is a clear path moving forward. So, we are doing something old with a twist, and it is coming together as smoothly as could be expected during a pandemic accompanied with a slew of other national and international crises. Our SI having to transition online in a period of weeks highlights the quality of our site. We communicate. We adapt. We overcome.
Dylan Williams is a 10th grade teacher at Oak Grove High School and a teacher consultant for the South Mississippi Writing Project.
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