What if it's not about the screen or the format but is instead about meetings that lack a purpose, an urgent agenda, a vibrant culture, a shared sense of “Isn't it such a good feeling to be here with one another?”
What if the problem isn't Zoom but is instead an undercurrent of meaninglessness, valuelessness, loneliness, nobody-really-knows-me-ness?
I'm not saying it is. I'm just saying that it could be.
It's at least worth the question.
Oftentimes, the circumstances that everyone says are the problem aren't the problem at all — they're just a symptom or a red herring. Diagnoses for cultural maladies become memes — they seem to fit, and so we repeat them. It feels good to be in the know and to have the lingo.
But the solution might not be less Zoom. It might instead be more connection, more purpose, more meaning, more value.
And the good news? You and I can approach those things in our work next week and in our lives this weekend. We can do that: be meaning miners, value creators, engines of a love with muscles.
We can do that today, in any place or system.
Mary Jo Casilio says
Excellent and brave pondering. Without vision, goes the proverb, the people perish. My personal hunch: with nothing (or very little) on the horizon, the students and the teachers fade.
Dave Stuart Jr. says
What an apropos proverb. Thank you Mary Jo.
Heather Kristensen says
I am at a small (67 students!) school. My colleagues and I are all strong relationship builders. However, we have been in complete distance learning since March and we are struggling with engagement. Students who had their cameras on in the beginning of the year no longer do, I’m lucky if I get to see a ceiling or a forehead. Mary Jo’s hunch rings true for me; I feel like I am fading.
Debi says
Amen, Dave! It is also not about all the new tech bells and whistles, those don’t build meaning, they complete a task. I force myself to count my blessings and connections at the end of each day to keep my head above water. I am so thankful to be part of this tribe and I (and my viewpoints) always feel welcome and at your fire.
Debi says
Amen, Dave! It is also not about all the new tech bells and whistles, those don’t build meaning, they complete a task. I force myself to count my blessings and connections at the end of each day to keep my head above water. I am so thankful to be part of this tribe and I (and my viewpoints) always feel welcome at your fire.
Annie Camacho says
It calls into question the idea of rebuilding a completely different system of how kids are taught and how teachers deliver instruction. Online learning has shown, if nothing else, the gaps that exist in our students’ skill set. OMG! Daunting! So grateful for your thoughts, Dave!
onegoodmentor says
Thinking the same thing. I posted in my blog (not as eloquently and brief as you) that the so-what matters. If we’re not engaging kids with meaning making, then what are we doing that a workbook couldn’t do? Connection, relationships, and even a spark of passion matters.