Holding onto the "Jar Moments"

"I just thought to myself, if I could just bottle this moment up, just to pull out on a rainy day to remember that joy -- [My students] have a way of inviting all of us into something really, really special."<p><br></p><p><strong>Featured guest: </strong></p><ul><li>Chris Williams, MEDL, Intervention Specialist, Columbus City Schools<ul> <li>Check out <a href="https://mystudentsteachme.wordpress.com/">Chris' blog</a> </li> <li>Follow Chris on <a href="https://twitter.com/cj_williams13">Twitter</a> </li> <li>"This is my 6th year as an Intervention Specialist in Columbus City Schools. I am passionate about students and the issues that impact them most. They teach me so much about joy, resiliency, and how to live wholeheartedly. I am especially proud of the job they have done learning through a pandemic, and their families have been the unsung heroes throughout this past year! I am also a Member Ambassador for Ohio's New Educators (ONE), a statewide network within the Ohio Education Association that supports early career educators."<p></p> </li> </ul> </li></ul><p><strong>In this episode:</strong></p>"The students are always the equalizer. They have a way of grounding me... It's been a crazy year for everybody, but they have persevered and I'm proud of them." <ul> <li>1:35 - Hanging in there </li> <li>2:15 - Leaning on families as educators navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and appreciating the value of the parent-teacher partnership</li> <li>3:40 - Working with students with orthopedic impairments and complex communication needs and seeing them continue to learn even through the challenges of remote instruction</li> <li>6:15 - Using the "jar moments" to maintain passion as an educator</li> <li>7:20 - Keeping a journal to remember the moments that sustain you</li> <li>8:15 - Creating a jar moment: The collective joy of one student's birthday party as a full family affair</li> </ul>"I just couldn't believe how lucky I was to be in that space and say I am his teacher."<ul> <li>10:40 - Sharing the story of one st