As educators, we spend a fair amount of time rolling around in confusion and grasping for clarity. Our days are lived at warp speed, and often communication is lost in the whirlwind. Thomas Friedman reminds us in his newest book, Thanks for Being Late, the rate of change has exceeded our human capacity to adapt. This means we most likely remain in a constant state of overwhelm. Determining where to place our attention becomes a daily exercise in prioritizing, listening closely, and communicating effectively.
I am new to my role as a literacy coach, and I am keenly aware of how my position could potentially add to teachers' overburdened plates. Although my desire is to lessen their load, I know all too well how good-intentioned helpers can sometimes create extra work instead of alleviating it. With such limited time, I remain vigilant—carefully maximizing every minute I spend with teachers.
Because relationships require two-way communication, I've been racking my brain about the best approach to sharing information and resources with the educators I'm privileged to serve. Although email is a pervasive part of a teacher's life, many times they're drowning in a sea of unread messages. Lots of folks frequently access Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, but they may not want their newsfeed cluttered with updates from school. Because Voxer works as an asynchronous form of connection, I've attempted to woo a few folks to join me on the app. However, I'm not convinced it's the leading choice either.
For now, I'll continue developing a Google Site as my home-base, and hopefully, it will be a place teachers bookmark and return to regularly. In the meantime, I'll keep seeking solutions and pursuing the answer to this essential question: How do we develop and maintain multiple forms of communication that fit the dynamic and diverse needs of those around us?
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