blogging · COVID-19

Adapting to Our New Reality

Stacey Shubitz
Masked Up!

If you had told me — a year ago — that I’d be wearing a mask outside of my house, sanitizing every square inch of a shopping cart at the grocery store, and carrying a retractable door gripper on my handbag, I wouldn’t have believed you. And if you had told me I’d be working 100% remotely while my daughter attended fourth grade on an iPad in her bedroom, I would have ended the conversation — thankyouverymuch. I wouldn’t have imagined any of these things would be possible last fall. Yet, here we are in late-September 2020 and this is reality.

Right now, every member of TWT is working in a slightly different capacity than they were a year ago. Some have additional coaching duties while others are teaching new grade levels. Some have bought masks for their students while others have planned outdoor educational spaces. Some are balancing their positions while overseeing their children’s remote learning. Nearly all are getting by on less sleep.

As TWT’s Chief of Operations, I want our team of writers to stay healthy this year.  As tempting as it is to continue to produce content every weekday this school year — as we have done for over a decade — I am concerned that doing so is not the right choice for the well-being of my colleagues and I who are not only working as educators, but who are trying to manage families and care for friends. Therefore, as of Monday, October 5th, we will be reducing the amount of new content we post our site — by half — for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year. (Specifics follow below.)

As a team, we remain committed to bringing you high-quality posts about the teaching of writing. Given the circumstances we face this school year, reducing the amount of content each writer produces will help make this volunteer commitment more reasonable while teaching hybrid or remotely during a global pandemic.

Here’s what you can expect on Two Writing Teachers between now and June 2021:

Sometimes one must adapt, adjust, and rearrange their life to fit with their new reality. This is one of those times.

On behalf of our team of writers, I hope you, too, will take good care of yourself this school year.

Meet Writers Where They Are: A Blog Series by the Co-Authors of Two Writing Teachers - #TWTBlog

Published by Stacey Shubitz

I am a literacy consultant who focuses on writing workshop. I've been working with K-6 teachers and students since 2009. Prior to that, I was a fourth and fifth-grade teacher in New York City and Rhode Island. I'm the author of Craft Moves (Stenhouse Publishers, 2016) and the co-author of Jump Into Writing (Zaner-Bloser, 2021), Welcome to Writing Workshop (Stenhouse Publishers, 2019), and Day By Day (Stenhouse, 2010). I live in Central Pennsylvania with my husband and children. In my free time, I enjoy swimming, doing Pilates, cooking, baking, making ice cream, and reading novels.

11 thoughts on “Adapting to Our New Reality”

  3. Stacey and the TWT team, you have all gone over and above for years now! I appreciate you so much. I am in awe of all that y’all still plan to do; please do only that which “lifts” you to do. This work must be restorative. Echoing your words – please take good care of yourselves. This world is sending us all a powerful message to slow down.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Thank you for doing what is best for you and your team. To be honest, it works well for me, too. I will be able to give your posts the attention they deserve, and not agonizing to keep up. Thank you for adapting for us all. I look forward to your posts!

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  5. Thank you for modeling how we all need to reflect on our priorities and take care of each other and our families. Your team shares a wealth of information, but I’m sure I’m not the only one finding it challenging to keep up with the ideas shared. A reduction will probably be just right for all of us. Thank you!

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  6. Stacey, this is a beautiful model for all of us. Your team will continue to inspire me and guide my teaching, no matter how many times you are able to post. I am thankful for all that you do and hope that reducing the posts will help all of you navigate these troubled waters a tad easier. Many thanks for keeping us inspired.

    Liked by 2 people

  8. Your daily posts have guided my teaching and have helped me maintain my values. This post continues to do that. Educators are at their limit right now and we need to step back from what we have always done in order to take care of our students, our families, and ourselves. I hope you find time to catch up and feel at ease. Thank you!

    Liked by 2 people

  9. Thank you, Stacey, for sharing this update. As always, the decisions made by you and your colleagues are thoughtful and consistently yield the highest quality posts. As a K-5 instructional coach, TWT tops our list of websites to share and follow. Your archives are a gold mine of all that is required to run a rich writing workshop. I commend you for taking this approach. Truthfully, most of us are on “information overload” in trying to keep up with the hybrid teaching ideas that clog our social media feeds. As one of seven coaches in a K-12 district, we have had to shift a great deal of our support to the tech side of teaching, which has impeded the joy I have for supporting literacy. Although I peruse every TWT post that appears in my inbox, I feel relieved knowing that I don’t need to “race through,” and instead can savor each post slowly. Writing is an art… your decision supports that ideal even more. Warmest regards, Laurie

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  10. I’m so happy to see that you are doing what is best for all of you! I always look forward to your posts and have always been in awe of how the team has been able to produce new content everyday. Please take care of yourselves and your families. Thank you for all that you do for students and educators. ❤️

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  11. Stacey and TWT Team,
    Thank you for always keeping what’s most important first. Your blog continues to inspire and grow me each year! Sending you all my sincerest gratitude and appreciation for your wisdom, expertise and heart for others. Be well and I will look forward to my email notifications as they come!
    Warmly,
    Mary

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