New traditions.

“Dad’s going to bring Rose to dance class in the morning,” I informed my kids on Friday night…so that they were well aware of the change in routine. Of course, Rose cried and protested that she wasn’t going to dance class. We reframed the situation and shared how excited Dad was to get to go to dance class, “Could you just try to be flexible for Dad this week?”

Wren asked why we were shifting and I told her that it was planning to attend the Teachers College Saturday reunion, virtually, in the morning. My mind went back to all of the early morning drives into the city to attend the reunion in person, usually carpooling with teachers from school or other literacy coaches. All the extra preparations it took to escape for a day to refill my professional bucket was always worth it.

But, the reunion being virtual has its perks. I got to sleep in, wear my sweatpants, grab an extra cup of coffee between sessions, and even do some laundry. While I missed my colleagues and the energy of other educators who had traveled from near and far to attend the reunion, I wasn’t alone.

As soon as I sat down to log into the keynote session, Wren appeared, binder and pencil bag in hand. “Can I watch with you?” she asked.

“Of course,” I said. This has become a new tradition. Ever since my kids gathered around my laptop in March of 2020, drawn in by Grace Lin’s keynote, Wren has been hooked. I think she enjoys the behind the scenes glimpses into what her own teachers must be thinking and the work they do to prepare for her day’s at school. She sometimes recognizes some of the staff developers from the virtual videos her teachers used through the up’s and downs of last year. “That’s Ms. Colleen,” she exclaimed when she saw Colleen Cruz. Today, she came ready with post-its for chart creation and paper for note taking. She sat for hours, happily working, listening, and creating, right beside me.