New Hampshire Educators,

The upcoming school year is already filled with anxiety, worry, and fear. However, We want to focus on what New Hampshire Educators do best, doing right by students. Last Spring, NHASCD partnered with stakeholders from across the NH education community to discuss what coming back to school looks like for the Fall of 2021. We heard from teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, school board members, mental health professionals, and, most importantly, students all virtually met to share how the pandemic has affected each of them from an educational point of view.

Ultimately, we learned that New Hampshire educators were doing amazing things. Our students were singing your praises in how you created flexible learning environments (in-person, hybrid, and remote) to best fit their needs. They loved being able to go into outdoor learning environments. The students were impressed with the amount of effort our educators were putting into maintaining a strong connection with students. New Hampshire Educators rose to such a grand challenge. 

For the upcoming school year, NHASCD would like educators to consider three factors: 

1. 1. How can we help support the mental health of our education community?

–The world has experienced a shared trauma. Let’s systematically reflect on our practices to fit the needs of our community. Jacob Wolf created a Review Tool to help guide such a reflection. We encourage teachers, teams, schools, and districts to use this as a guide to begin conversations to support our communities.

2, In what ways can educators address the various learning needs within the classroom?

—Educators have always mastered the craft of meeting the multiple needs within their classrooms. However, good teaching requires reflection and an opportunity to “polish the stone.” Mary Bellavance created a Student Centered Learning Coaching Menu where teachers can reflect on their practices. 

3. We always consider the whole child, but what about the whole teacher?

—Upcoming NHASCD presenter, Mike Anderson, shares ways of keeping a healthy work-life balance. Being kind doesn’t always mean to others, it is also about, How can we be kind to ourselves?

The 2021-2022 school year will be a montage of different emotions. Let’s bring back our community traditions and celebrations. Let’s scream from the rooftops our successes. We are educators. We are experts. We are resilient. We are a team. We are kind. 

Please reach out if you need resources, share a story, or just need to be heard. NHASCD is here for you!

Have an amazing school year! 

Sincerely, 

Steve Lebel, Ed.D.
NHASCD President 

Dr. Steve Lebel is the president of NHASCD and currently an Instructional Coach at Amherst Middle School.  In addition, he is a Math Reviewer for EdReports.  He has an Ed.D. in Curriculum, Teaching, Learning, and Leadership from Northeastern University, an M.Ed. from Lesley University, and a B.A. from Rivier University.