Coordinator's Corner Let It Rain
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May 2021
Coordinator's Corner
Let It Rain
Lisa Burrell
April showers bring May flowers...we’ve all heard that saying. Trees are budding, grass is growing, the brownish
dull colors of winter are slowly turning green - waking out of a winter’s sleep. Temperatures cannot make up their
mind, yet they are staying warmer longer as summer gets closer. With all of this, school is winding down but not
without the high stakes testing which brings about high levels of stress and anxiety in students as well as
teachers. All are longing for summer break.
The 2020-2021 year has been a history maker and is definitely not considered a ‘normal’ year: in-person, online,
all remote, contact tracing, COVID etc. Yet, we have persevered and pushed forward to continue to meet the
academic and social-emotional needs of our students while trying to make sure our needs are met too. It has not
been easy but there is light at the end of the tunnel.
A friend and colleague shared something she does which helps her to keep things in perspective. Her commute to
school is just over an hour. Instead of the radio blaring or talking on her cell phone, she enjoys the quietness of
the drive and uses that time to meditate or think. On many occasions she thinks about her present and former
students: what is happening at home, how they are doing, or what project or independent study would be best for
a particular student, etc. Thinking about them and seeing how the landscapes change from city to farms to forests
with hills and valleys, brings a sense of beauty and calm. Just like the changes in scenery on a long drive, our
students, their uniqueness, growth (physical and academic) demonstrate the same when we look deep enough.
The beauty created by their differences is sometimes hidden by the stresses and circumstances in life. However,
that beauty is still there. The calm that many times is hidden by a storm just needs nurtured by us. My friend and
colleague sent well wishes to her past and present students despite some of the frustrations (storms) happening.
In doing so, peace, comfort, calm goes forth and encouragement is felt, which is something we all long for and
need.
As our most interesting school year comes to an end, be the rain that brings the flowers. Continue to shower your
students with smiles, encouragement, and positivity. Look deep into their being and you will see the flowers
beginning to bloom. Embrace their uniqueness. Praise their efforts no matter how big or small. Enjoy the beauty of
the ‘landscapes’ in your classroom, buildings, and district and embrace the calm that comes with it. Focus on the
good and the rough areas will not seem as bad. This school year is one we will not forget. Do whatever you can to
make it end on a positive, refreshing note.
Thank you for caring for our students. Thank you for demonstrating positivity during very difficult times. Thank you
for being the sunshine that reveals hidden beauty in the lives of others. Thank you for being you!!
The winners of April's drawing for “Guess in 10" are Ronda Price from Tuscarawas
Valley, Caroline McCabe from Bridgeport, and Dawn Williams from East Guernsey!
This month's game is Lunar Landing Logic Game
by ThinkFun!
Help! You're on a mission to a distant moon, but
you've become stranded outside your mothership. Use
your logic skills and the aid of five loyal helper-bots to
find a way back to the ship's emergency entry port - or
you'll be stranded in space forever! Comes with multi-
level challenges - Lunar Landing comes with 40
beginner to expert challenges that become
increasingly difficult as you play through them.
Sign up for this month's game here! (https://forms.gle/ghF3rCXboPEGndms8)
Time for a New Strategy? Try Hexagonal Thinking
Rachel Winters
May may feel like a fresh new burst of springtime to some, and perhaps it’s just this year that seems
so long, but to me this May is desperately in need of some fresh new ideas to keep me and my
students going until the end of the school year. And I’ve been feeling fresh...out of ideas.
Enter hexagonal thinking.
A concept apparently old hat in the business world, hexagonal thinking is experiencing a renewal with
educators seeking a new way to teach students to think more deeply. A friend of the English-
Language Arts Speaking and Listening Standards, as well as many gifted standards, hexagonal
thinking encourages students to make connections between various ideas through discussion and
critical thinking. The fun part, and the part that will freak your students out a little (especially some of
your gifted students)? There’s more than one right answer. Give a stack of hexagons with the same
ideas to five different students, or groups of students, and you’ll see five different configurations. As
groups discuss how and why they’ve made certain connections, explaining and justifying their
choices, deeper understanding develops. Students can, before or during a large-group discussion, do
a gallery walk to look at other hexagon webs.
But it gets even better! While you can collect a grade by having students reflect on their choices, or
develop the hexagon connections into a writing assignment, or have students discuss and justify via
Flipgrid, you could connect social/emotional learning by grading the actual group web in conjunction
with having students reflect on their actual contributions to the group, especially in the context of their
own individual strengths and skills.
Below are some examples of how hexagonal thinking was used in ELA, in science, and in career
education:
On the blog, Now Spark Creativity (www.nowsparkcreativity.com), some ideas for using hexagonal
thinking include:
Using hexagons to guide pre-writing brainstorming in preparation for writing an essay
Using hexagons before a novel, or group of poems or short stories, to build connections between
current events and students’ experiences and the upcoming ideas in the texts to prepare students
or whet their interest
As “one-pagers,” having students delve more deeply into characters, themes, symbolism, or other
literary elements in a text
Free printable and online templates and more classroom ideas for implementing hexagonal thinking
can be found at the following pages:
Cult of Pedagogy
Now Spark Creativity
We Are Teachers
Edutopia
Contact Us!
Lisa Burrell
330-308-9939 ext. 8216
lisa.burrell@ecoesc.org
Tuscarawas Valley, Carrollton
Upcoming Events
Marina Colombo
May 31 330-308-9939 ext. 8214
Memorial Day marina.colombo@ecoesc.org
Cambridge, Dover, Rolling Hills
Lori Robson
330-308-9939 ext. 8209
lori.robson@ecoesc.org
Executive Director, Educational Services
Sarah Spies
330-308-9939 ext. 8226
sarah.spies@ecoesc.org
Programming and Communications
Coordinator
Lisa Stupak
740-695-9773 ext. 8403
lisa.stupak@ecoesc.org
Bellaire, Bridgeport, Martins Ferry, and
Shadyside Schools
Amber Toriseva
740-695-9773 ext. 8409
amber.toriseva@ecoesc.org
Barnesville, St. Clairsville, and Union
Local Schools
Rachel Winters
330-308-9939 ext. 8239
rachel.winters@ecoesc.org
East Guernsey
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