Small steps in the name of learning!

Our UDL chat took place on October 5th via Twitter. Something was very interesting and different about this UDLChat session. This UDL session marked a week since our SWFL community was hit by hurricane Ian. Riddled with anxiety, I went to a friend’s house to access wifi and try my best to stay focused. I was exhausted from a post-adrenaline rush and scatterbrained to a fault. Then it hit me, this is why this Universal Design for Learning is so important and essential. UDL goes both ways. How will I help all of my students and how do I help myself? My kids need help. I need help.

As the floodgates of ideas came into play, I went back to all of the foundational ideas I use and try to maintain them every single day. UDL just like education is built on positive relationships. I thought UDL would be a blanket to coddle students and not challenge them. I couldn’t have been more wrong. It’s establishing a level playing field BEFORE the game starts. As an educator, I feel like I am constantly behind the proverbial “8-ball” because during the pre-school week there’s no built-in time for looking at IEP’s and my rosters would be important so I can plan accordingly. This UDL chat really opened the door to some best practices and feedback on goal setting.

Since feedback is about progression and not perfection, I really appreciated how other members of the UDL community are able to identify their own strengths and weaknesses. This community building is so essential for educators who are dedicated to embracing UDL in their learning environments. The focus remained on how we can improve in our own process and not “Look at me! I’m amazing! Let me show you how it’s done!”. While this past week has been nothing short of devastating, I appreciated having a somewhat normal and inspiring conversation with some incredible educators. I miss my kids. I miss my classroom.