She laughs at the irony of trying to avoid the illness in the first place, gets a little teary-eyed from the stress of knowing that her whole family is probably going to catch it now (and they have) and then feels the stress of realizing that she has just gotten all the routines established and has started the process of connecting with her students only to now have it come to a screeching, COVID-filled, halt. So, she does the only thing she can do:

My main desire for the first few weeks of school is to establish routines and make connections and I think that I still have been able to do that. All while trying to trick your kids into thinking I am really living it up on a beach somewhere and not wrapped up in a blanket in my bedroom trying not to infect my dog. 🙂 Even with this circumstance, I think the routines and connections are still being made. And I hope they have all had a little bit of fun, too.

Even so, I was very happy to get back to them on Friday.

Even if it wasn’t with a tan.

My goals for my students are individualized to their own unique learning needs, whether we are tackling the newest modern novel, integrating the lessons of a Shakespearean tragedy into an image for our more visual
learners, or systematically retrieving the sounds that match the English symbols (letters and morphemes) presented in a book, housing contract, or street sign.

This week, we also began talking about the importance of literature and how it can impact our abilities to empathize with others. I introduced the analogy about defining literature as Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Doors. Some classes also participated in a trip to the animal classroom so we could observe a ball python and discuss the differences between a non-fiction description of something and a literary description of the same species. Below you will see a brief description of what each class did. I hope that these short explanations prompt discussion between you and your student to help them talk to you about what they are learning!

Throughout the year, it is my goal to make sure you are updated through Blackboard of your student’s grade progress, growing independence in the area of English Language Arts skills, our class activities, and any information that might be of interest when it comes to broadening your

If you would like to read more about how reading literature can build empathy, please go to the following link: https://magazine.nd.edu/ stories/what-good-is-literature/

My goals for my students are individualized to their own unique learning needs, whether we are tackling the newest modern novel, integrating the lessons of a Shakespearean tragedy into an image for our more visual
learners, or systematically retrieving the sounds that match the English symbols (letters and morphemes) presented in a book, housing contract, or street sign.

student’s reading and writing life! Every student is different so while I will be sending general information about what students are working on and you will be able to see your own student’s progress, please feel empowered to reach out at any time to ask specific questions about how your child is doing.

To reach me, you can use the messaging feature in Blackbaud, email at courtney.vincent@brehm.org, or call the school at 618-457-0371, ext 1602.

If you would like to read Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop’s essay about mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors, please visit this link: https://scenicregional.org/wp-content/uploads/ 2017/08/Mirrors-Windows-and-Sliding-Glass-Doors.pdf