I write so rarely,  but needed to decompress and use this to journal mostly for myself. I wrote my second to last blog post about my sadness of not being able to attend CUE 2020.
I am one who reflects back often but usually I do this with the photos and videos I take. But writing can let me look back at how I was feeling. So, that is the purpose really for this post. 

(Oh, this best to read while listening to Bruce Springsteen - Thunder Road (Springsteen on Broadway - Official Audio)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySC5NpxAp3U

​Like virtually every other teacher out there day, I feel like I am at the tail end of a storm. 

I can sense it may be over soon

But also, I know that the landscape and myself will not look the same.

I write this on March 13th 2022, two years to the day that all that we knew would change. For me, that Friday I was pulled into an emergency all day meeting at the district office where myself as a former TOSA and other TOSAs, admins and others planned what we could do if our district had to pause live instruction. Little did we know that this was the beginning of a storm that will irrevocably change everything. 

You’ve all lived with what came next. Looking back at it now, it all seems such a blur. 

You may have a similar story to mine… 

I had to switch to…
A Non-punitive grading system
A Virtual classroom
A Distance learning environment
A Hybrid schedule
A 4X4 schedule
An A/B schedule
and so on

I’ve had to…
* Make screencast videos that only 5% of my students would even watch.
* Struggle with my own apathy and depression; wondering when this all would end 
* Not lose my mind and have get togethers with my fellow teachers in our school parking lot.

* Rush my room to be ready as we were one of the first schools to open due to a reckless school board
* Take apart my classroom to fit students 6 feet apart
* Spray and wipe down my room with an ever changing concoction of cleaning supplies
* Try and stay connected with my PLN by “meeting” (translate to getting drunk) with online Zooms

​And I consider myself one of the more flexible and techie teachers. I feel for all those others who hit their breaking points earlier. 

All our stories are different, yet still the same. The pandemic numbers would go up and down. Life would feel like it was edging back to normal then back to shitty once again.

For me, the impact was always secondary though… By that, I mean that all the issues and changes to my life were done in reaction to the pandemic. But all that changed with the start of 2022. Although it looked like we were on the tail end of this, it was then that it became personal.

By personal, I mean that in January two of my friends and fellow teachers at my school became seriously ill from COVID. Which is just so hard since all that we heard about the Omnicron variant was that it was more transmissible but less severe. Both of these men have taught at Rocklin High for well over 20 years and like so many others in the profession, those who we work with are more than just colleagues… they are our friends. 

We eat our lunches together
We plan, scheme and try to solve the world’s problems
We share our dreams and our hopes 
And we have our kids grow up together

At first it was my friend Dale who became ill. 

​Dale is a social studies teacher with whom I spent 13 years also in social studies. We always said we put the SOCIAL in Social Studies! 
His passion for teaching and all things sports is a huge part of who he is. He coaches both the girls and boys Tennis teams at our school. He was such a willing participant in everything we did at our school. From coaching to reffing, to acting and dancing in our Follies performances, to managing websites and reporting sports scores, to barbequing for his students, to organizing fantasy sports leagues, Dale has been a workhorse for Rocklin. He simply loved what he did. 

I mentioned his passions, but it is his love for his wife and two children that defines who he is.  

And Dale has spent over 50 days in the ICU 

Dale has been fighting all this time and it is his last few days which have really prompted me to write and reflect. That is because Dale has made some incredible progress. Intubation, sedation, infections, etc have wreaked havoc on him but yesterday, Dale was moved out of the ICU. His struggles have been at the front of all our thoughts here at the school and in his circle of friends and family. His wife Ashly has been just an unbelievable pillar of strength for him and the rest of us. Her daily communications and updates have helped us keep connected. 

I mentioned I taught social studies for years. Then I transitioned to a TOSA for 3 years and now I have been in CTE as a video production teacher and co-department chair for 5 years. It is this department, my classes and my school where I have put all my efforts and energy since the pandemic. I tried for a while to “stay connected” via Twitter, my Check This Out podcast with my dear friend Brian Briggs, but it is all just too much.

Oh and I can't forget the toxic dialogue against teachers both at the national level as well as in my own town.

When did we become the enemies?

​Listening to our recent board meetings and seeing the venom on local social media has been some of the most saddening parts of my professional life. The vile and hatred by zealots and extremists led me to actually speak out at a board meeting in defense of teachers for the first team in 20 years at Rocklin (below is the link. I speak at about 1 hour 40 minutes and much of what is before and after is what I talked about regarding the toxic talk) 
https://youtu.be/uAjDxglTo4g?t=6042

Back to my current position, the department I am in; CTE. We have gone through so much since the pandemic in terms of our teachers. We have had: 
1 teacher retire as he had planned in 2020
1 teacher quit unexpectedly
1 teacher retire early unexpectedly
1 teacher pass away unexpectedly weeks before the start of 2021
1 teacher come out of retirement to fill that gap. And his name was Casey Nichols

​Casey taught at RHS since 1994 being a national leader in journalism and publications. He was so much to our school both the students and the staff. 

Casey became seriously ill with COVD days after Dale.
Both of these men had underlying conditions. 
But Casey had been out of teaching for two years and was incredibly protective of his health. He was an advocate for all of us doing our part. He believed in rights but also that we have responsibilities to each other.. 

He came back to our school after our photography passed away and we could not find someone to hire. 

Casey came to help.

Casey passed away on February 2nd

His impact can not be understated. 

The fact that the scholarship created in his name has reached $33,000 speaks volumes on the both type of person he was and the impact he had on countless people.

To learn about Casey and his impact the Sacramento Bee did a piece on him you can read here

Casey was just an incredible person. 
He taught for 36 years
He was the 2004 National Yearbook Advisor of the Year. 
He loved Bruce, he loved to read, he loved golf, and he loved having everyone tell their story
He was a coach and an inspiration 
He was a husband, a father, a brother, a son, and a grandfather

And for me, he was a mentor, an inspiration, a teacher…. but most importantly… he was my  friend.

I’ll miss you Casey 


here is a video of when he first retired and his goodbye to our staff. Give it a watch, particularly his quote from around the 12:00 minute mark
"#I'm an imperfect man on an imperfect journey, doing the best I can"

​So, now on looking on to March 14th tomorrow and wondering what the next chapter looks like, I just don’t know. 

I know I’ll go to school tomorrow. 
I know I’ll try to reconnect at CUE later this week
but I also know I am different as well. 
I don’t know what I’ll do in terms of getting back to working with teachers with professional development
And I don’t know how different I will be as a teacher

​Have you students  DO SOMETHING while they are  watching your video.
This could be note taking, guided questions, etc. It can be using a program like EdPuzzle where you build formative assessments, but it could also be just having them write on a piece of paper.  I really recommend the idea of creating a HyperDoc to correspond with what they watch.  No matter what you choose, the key is to be active during the video and not just at the end.  

​Trust me, students are going to get burned out of watching teachers sitting at their desk and talking TO them via Zoom. Those types of videos are OK for direct instruction where students are watching LIVE (this is synchronous). 
But, don’t discount asynchronously as well (watching at different times, locations). This can allow student to learn at the best time for them AND for you it opens up a world of other possibilities of what you can record. 
Set up a camera (it can even be your phone) and record you in more of a learning environment. It doesn't have to be complicated, just grab a tripod and think about where you can put  yourself. Here's a few ideas:

Have you noticed kids today watching Netflix and how many of them like having subtitles on every show they watch? 
Can you guess why? 
It easier for them to process the dialogue. 
So, the idea of having subtitles helps virtually everyone retain more, be it ESL or native speaking students. 

Plus, YouTube now “listens” to your posted videos and will add captions automatically. So, nudge your students to turn on those captions. ​And speaking of captions, a great way to support ELs and their families is to help with the translation of your videos. Here is an incredible presentation titled "Translate Almost Anything" from Amanda Sandoval and Carrie Smith. Be sure to check out the slide on YouTube translator Chrome extension.

Your videos don’t have to be just your head talking or a screencast of your screen. Demonstrating something is a powerful way to teach. When setting up your camera for this keep in mind to make it look like it is from YOUR eyes or a First Person view. This is often seen in YouTube tutorials and it serves as an effective way to "see how something can be done". 

Therefore, if you have anything that is a manipulative you can demonstrate it in front of you. Or it can even be a first person view of you sketching out on paper like you see here. ​
​
How to set up a camera like this can be done a million ways . Do a search for "overhead table top tripod" and you find ones to just buy on Amazon or how to get creative and make your DIY version of one of these

If you are going to be doing more of a traditional stand and lecture think about what YOU will be looking at. If you are just staring at the camera the entire time it becomes a little unnverviing and feeling like you are just staring. On the other end, if you are constantly looking at your board, or notes it comes across as if you are either unprepared or checked out. Move your eyes to what you are looking at. Switch it up from looking just at the camera to looking at what you want your students to look at. 

Since many of us will be spending a fair amount of time with our students via Zoom or Google Meet, think a little about your background. The number goal for what is behind you should be this: IT SHOULD NOT DISTRACT!
Now many of us will find ourselves doing this several ways which, in my opinion, you should avoid

One of the more popular type of videos where teachers can deliver their instruction as of late has been the screencast. These videos consist of a teacher narrating while the viewer watches the teachers screen. The teacher has the option if they like to add a webcam video of themselves usually in one of the corners. These type of videos all a teacher to replicate online a traditional type of lecture where they would want the class to focus on two things... the visuals of what the teacher wants them to see (slidedeck, photos, math problem, etc) and sound of the teacher's voice.

There are quite a few programs out there you can try out.
From the top of the line and kind of pricey Camtasia
To the easier and cheaper to use, browser based tools like Screencast-o-matic and my favorite Screencastify. If you haven't tried making one of these, give it a shot and you'll really just how easy it is to create and share your video with any of your classes. 

Although teachers are comfortable with standing in front of their classrooms and teaching to those real-in person faces in front of them, many may not have the same level of comfort when trying to teach to their screen. The folks at Screencastify put out these "24 Tips for Creating High Quality Screencasts" a few years back and the tips are just as relevant in all that we are dealing with today.

One of the most common questions I get about delivering video instruction is
"should I make my own or just show my students videos made by others"
There are pros and cons for sure in this and here is my two cents:
Videos from others usually look fantastic and have a greater production value. Some of these are done by people or groups who spend a lot of time and money to produce them. For example the videos on Crash Course channel will be look WAY better than any that I could ever produce! Plus these creators often put in tons of time to make them just perfect where as we will be facing one of our toughest challenges ever in education and staying on top of being a video content creator will be a challenge. 
But on the other side, anyone else's video will always lack one thing....
THEY ARE NOT YOU!
* You are the one who knows the level of your students
* You are the one who understand the standards 
* and you are the one who has a relationship with your students
So for me in the end.... the importance of connecting and engaging with you students is the reason why I think you should make your own. 

Now I know it won't be easy and for myself I know I may not always follow all these tips.  You can see one of mine from the spring below

In watching this again and reflecting I see what worked and what I can improve on in the future. 
​
And for you all, do what you can and don't get yourself overwhelmed... and in the end, remember the most important thing you do when you turn on the record button with your kids - just talk, be kind, and let them know they matter. 

Best of luck to all of you and your journey!

Thanks to Logan Fiorella, Ph.D.and the following journal for inspiration:
Mayer, R. E., Fiorella, L., & Stull, A. (2020). Five ways to increase the effectiveness of instructional video. Educational Technology Research and Development, 1-16.

Plus a huge shout out to some of my Twitter PLN for their input and ideas on this post: 
Andy Losik
Brian Biggs
Connie Mimura
Karalee Wong Nakatsuka
Cristinia Bustamante
Tom Covington
Amanda Sandoval 
​Sarah Kiefer

Yes, it's been awhile since I wrote a blog post and yes again if you’re asking if I feel bad about letting go.
Stop giving me a hard time about it!!!!! 

Now that we got that settled, let’s get to the point. 

I am revisiting my blog because today I got the news from my school district that all employees are now unable to travel to professional development events due to the COVID-19 virus. This, along with a quite a few other limitations, is unfortunate yet understandable due to all that has been happening surrounding the spread of this virus. 

Some of the impact on myself and my family are that I had to cancel social studies training I present on for Teacher Created Materials, plus my wife who is a Speech Therapist had to cancel her state convention in Anaheim. For me though, missing on the yearly CUE conference in Palm Springs is going to be one of the biggest letdowns. 

I have been attending this event for the past five years and it’s something I look forward to every spring. Yes, it’s the sessions, new ideas, resources, cool tech, etc why I take part in this; but it’s really about the people. The old friends and new ones that are made is what makes these 3 days in Palm Springs so memorable. I can’t tell you how many connections I have made. 

Kudos to CUE by the way for offering vouchers for attendees in my same situation to go back to this or any other CUE event over the next three year. Hey California Speech Language Hearing Association… how about taking a page from CUE for all those #slpeeps who can’t go and not just tell them all no refund. Bad form in my opinion… take care of your people. 

Back to this year's CUE.... I have been making a "CUE By The Numbers" infographic for the past 3 years as a way for me to reflect back and document my experiences of this event. I have shared this Google Drawing file with the CUE community on Twitter and quite a few others have tried their hands at this as well. Well, even though I am not going I still wanted to make this again. So, you can see my infographic this year blow and if you would like to make your own, try opening up this Google Drawing document to make your own copy. 

Well, on the bright side… there is ISTE in Anaheim this summer. Fingers crossed this still can happen.

To all those old friends to quote Barry Manilow (who we rocked out in our district van, “Lola”  last year on the way to the desert; I’ll catch you all “Somewhere Down The Road” ​

​First off, its been awhile, about a year in fact, since I published a blog post. As with just about everyone who has started a blog, there is always that nagging feeling once you fall off the wagon of writing about needing to get back. For me, what nudged me back into writing is actually the view you see here while I am writing this.

​This is a photo I shot of my view from a small dressing room deep in the belly of the Rocklin Community theater. You see I am about just about an hour away from stepping out on stage on opening night as Coach Bolton in our community theater’s performance of “High School Musical”. I have been part of the preparation of this performance since the end of last school year, practicing and rehearsing on and off throughout the summer. And now as I nervously wait for the curtain the rise, I know I have family and friends who are out there tonight and my number one thought is “why the heck am I doing this”?!?!!?

People keep telling me, “oh, you’ll have so much fun” but as of right now its more about nerves!
But the real reason is that I get to do this with my theater crazed daughter Rachel as she is also in the show.

Opening night, tonight actually goes back to her audition in the spring and then subsequent phone call that went something like this:
“Hey Ryan, our audio technician at the theater was a student of yours years ago, and as we were brainstorming ideas on who to get to be the coach, he said ‘Rachel’s dad was my teacher and a coach at RHS and he may be interested’”.
Well, 3 months later I am here now. In this dressing room, with my Wildcats coaching gear and my copy of my script, nervously waiting and wondering which lines I am going to butcher.

Now my blog is not really a lot about personal reflections and my family life, but I wanted to share as these experiences have been so helpful to me as an educator.So here are my 5 takeaways. 

1) ​Stretch yourself. Basically, get out of your bubble and try new things.
This is kind of the main idea of this show, not to be confined to those predefined roles of jock, braniac, drama nerd, etc that we all know so well. For me, that was who I was for a long time. I was the jock, I was the kid who wanted to beat our rivals (those bastards at Edison High) in every sport. Plus Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics were pretty much represented all that was wrong in the world. As I headed off to college, sports still defined me as I played football at the University of Nevada, Reno. But, slowly things started to change while I was there. Part of it was the movie Batman, which got me interested in starting to collect comic books. Then came the film and drama classes I took which helped me really begin to appreciate and then love musicals like Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables. I was even mocked a bit by my teammates as I read my comic books on our road trips. I had professors who tried to nudge me over to this world and I really thought this may be something I could do, but at the same time what kept me from doing anything in this world was the ruts my path was on. That being both my athletic world and my major, which I was too far along in to change. Retrospectively I wonder what would be different now if I made some of those changes, but alas, I truly am in a happy place now personally and professionally. 

 2) Work WITH kids - don’t stand over them
Being in this show, it’s refreshing to simply be a participant… in essence an equal to all the children in the cast (there are only 3 adults and the rest are all under 16). Actually, I would put myself at the bottom rung as I most likely have the least experience here! Being able to do everything from work through the lines to joking around with the other actors has been a lot of fun. This idea of not being the architect of the learning or coach of the game is something I don’t regularly do. So what can I do in my own life to get more of this? First off, say NO and not overstretch myself as much as I have in the past. Secondly, I continue to push myself to not get stuck behind my desk during class time as much and listen to my students and be more of that “guide on the side”. 

3) “We’re All In This Together”
Yes, it’s THE song from this Disney musical, but I really am thinking about the message the show pushes hard; about how we should not really be defined by our cliques and groups. As a high school teacher, it is something I see everyday; and more and more my fellow teachers and I see kids struggling with mounting social and emotional pressures. I know it is a bit polyana to think that we can stop this as its human nature to surround one another with others who you are like and connect, but to be open to other interests and ideas only helps all of us grow. 

4) Get Your Head In The Game”
I tell you, this line is one which my overbearing character says over and over again and it’s really connecting with me. The start of this show is also the first day back for our teachers here in Rocklin Unified where I work. This is an action packed day to say the least. Here’s a quick rundown of my August 9th:

• A district wide kick off in the morning where we are having all the K-12 teachers in one gym while we welcome them all to the year. We finished this by having me on the mic convincing teachers to come on down and sing our version of “We Are All In This Together”. We had students out there to show the way (including my Rachel again as you can see here) and I was so happy with the turnout. So many joined in and we sang along and, I hope, left a little more ready to start the year on a positive note
  
• From there I helped lead a few PD sessions around Schoology and Google Drive.
  
• Then I met up with the Rocklin High staff where they were deep in some team building with Phil Boyte and his workshop on Learning For Living.
  
• From there, it was basically a quick meal stop with the family (thanks to the Mrs. for the grub!) and then I boogied on over with my daughter to the theater. Which takes me to where I am here...
  

As I think about this line again “get your head in the game”, it has been helpful for me to compartmentalize my thoughts and actions. One of the things that I do is to take on probably too many projects for both myself and others and it's the juggling of this which makes follow through a struggle. Case in point; knowing my lines for today! 

• Now rightfully so, you may be saying, “hey Ryan, aren’t you doing just the opposite of what you are saying here, because you are writing a blog post before showtime”? And you know what… you’re right! (which is why much of this post was written the following day!) But this really is a big takeaway for me as I struggle with a mountain of things to do before the year; it’s the “just stay focused mindset or one project at a time”. Here is what I have been doing to try and keep my head in the game
  • Just work on my lines and don’t open up any school prep work I want to get done like my syllabus. 
  • Work in my studio on the room layout and don’t get distracted by lesson planning
  • When I am prepping my course outline and / or lessons stay off email and Twitter
• Basically for all these it’s “STAY FOCUSED!”. How well will I do once the school year takes off? Time will only tell!

​So now… as they say in the theater world I hope I break a leg!