Connect Virtually with Peers During the Coronavirus: Share Your Stories
AACTE Responds to COVID-19
AACTE is committed to providing opportunities for its members to connect virtually during the coronavirus. One of the several initiatives the Association recently launched to support members in this outbreak is the opportunity to share their stories with the educator preparation community. In fact, AACTE has a dedicated section for “Member Voices” on its new online COVID-19 Resource Hub.
AACTE is currently accepting article submissions from members that address questions such as: What lessons have you learned during the crisis response planning process for your institution? What innovations are your programs using to adapt to the needs of your faculty, staff and students? How has the impact of the coronavirus helped you enhance as an education leader?
Article submissions should also address education topics related to the following categories:
- Positive Thinking During Tough Times – Maintaining good mental and emotional health and overall well-being is essential during the coronavirus outbreak. What are some ways you are encouraging positive thinking as an educator with your peers and students? How are you enhancing coping skills and reducing stress to maintain a positive outlook? What key strategies are you implementing to reduce and eliminate negative mental health effects?
- Acts of Kindness During the Coronavirus Outbreak – Extraordinary things are happening as Americans come together to support each other in this crisis. What community services or pro bono resources have your institutions developed or encountered to assist others, particularly those in need, during this time? How are you collaborating or partnering with other educators, programs, institutions and/or organizations to address the education needs of your local community?
- Education Leadership in Times of Crisis – Leading during times of crisis requires a unique set of skills. How are you working decisively within urgent time frames while maintaining a focus on managing and motivating your team? How are you developing and executing appropriate responses and preparing your institution to endure rapid changes? What crisis management skills have become essential to you being a successful leader?
- Student Voices on Coronavirus Impact – Teacher candidates are a very important segment of the educator preparation community. As a student, how are you adapting to online learning and coping with social distancing from your educational community? What strategies are you implementing to stay connected with university peers virtually? How has the coronavirus impacted your future plans and overall outlook about a career in education? What ways can leaders best support your educational journey during this time?
- The Coronavirus Impact on Colleges of Education – AACTE is working in various ways to check the pulse of its member institutions during the pandemic. Please submit articles on the challenges and successes your college of education is experiencing to implement new ways for teaching and learning. What are the short- and long-term effects the coronavirus has made on the way your program operates? What trends are impacting colleges of education in your state or region? What are the key areas where the educator preparation community can unite ao help you address and move the profession forward during this time?
AACTE will feature selected article submissions on its widely read blog, Ed Prep Matters, on its website at aacte.org, and via its social media channels on Twitter and Facebook. Submissions should be well written, nonfiction articles that represent your professional experiences during the coronavirus. Article content should be limited to 500-800 words and include author’s full name, job title, institution’s name and author’s short bio and photo. Photos and images to accompany the articles are also welcomed. Complete article submissions should be emailed to AACTE’s Content Strategist Katrina Norfleet at knorfleet@aacte.org.
Storytelling is indeed essential to getting your message out in a way that creates lasting impressions in people’s minds and hearts. Now more than ever, it is critical for AACTE members to “tell their stories” so that communities, media, and policy makers can learn more about the positive work educator preparation professionals are doing during this challenging time. AACTE is dedicated to augmenting the voice of its members and sharing their success stories.
