This spring has been hard. Incredibly hard. But you, our AIW partners, have inspired us with much hope for what is possible in the coming years.  

As AIW Institute coaches, Bruce, Susie and I often share notes about how wonderful our AIW partners are. You are deeply reflective professionals who are driven by the intense desire to “do right by all students”, to create meaningful learning experiences that enable students to think critically about core concepts in your disciplines. You view each other as professionals, as potential leaders, and with respect and admiration, regardless of your formal title within your workplace. 

When Covid-19 shut down school buildings, you were determined to maintain the important work happening on your AIW teams.  The team meetings needed to look a bit different than usual, but the work continued. In the uncertainty that pervaded—and still pervades—our planning for the coming months, teachers were grateful for the opportunity to pose questions and gather ideas from their teammates. As you had to rethink your instruction, you prioritized your commitment to focusing on what really matters to students. And you shared the new challenges you faced as you moved your instruction online. 

 
Many of you also participated in our inaugural AIW (virtual) Community Conversations. In doing so, you were willing to share your experiences, insights, obstacles and solutions with a broader community of AIW partners. You joined us from Georgia, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio and from Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, Israel. We’ll share more details about these Community Conversations in a separate blog entry, along with details about how these will continue during the 2020-2021 school year. 

 
We’re grateful for you all!