Of the eight years Karen Vallente has been in education, the 2020 – 2021 school year has undoubtedly been the most challenging. It’s also been the most impactful year of her career.
“This has been a year of trying new things,” said Vallente. “It’s okay to make mistakes and it’s important to stay brave enough to try new things.”
Vallente teaches algebra at the Design and Technology Academy (DATA) at Ed White Middle School. Teachers across North East ISD spent much of their summer preparing for an untraditional year. Hybrid teaching may have felt a little like reinventing the wheel at first, but Vallente embraced the art of experimentation. It wasn’t easy, but it paid off.
She shared three takeaways from the most unconventional school year in history.
When we stay connected, we stay together.
“Without relationships, you lose people. So, reaching out, checking in and asking how we can help is so important. This was a hard year for everyone. Just keep showing up every day and it’ll be okay. We’ll figure it out together.”
Grace leads to growth.
“I’ve always leaned toward grace, but this year especially has made me rethink what really matters. Now, I think a lot about how the kids show me growth and how I’m being flexible in the classroom with them. What are we trying to communicate with our kids and our families and how are we meeting them halfway to help them grow?”
Collaboration is key.
“Figuring out what works and what doesn’t together as a team has been huge. We’re all here to support each other. We share ideas. We celebrate with each other – we’re here for all of it. We have great kids here and we have a faculty that loves being here. I haven’t been anywhere else, but I don’t want to be anywhere else because of the family that’s here.”
Our teachers practice what they preach. As lifelong learners, they strategized and leaned on each other to find a way to connect with students, parents and colleagues. Change may have felt like the only constant in the past year, but thanks to teachers like Vallente, the stuff that really matters stayed the same.
