Thread by @erickalenze

Two years ago today (a date I'll always remember because it's also my birthday), @researchED_US built on the great @researchEdhome series to do a week-long virtual conference. See here: researchedus2020.wordpress.com

It was, of course, a pivot away from the in-person conference I'd been putting together for Oct 2020 in Philly: erickalenze.wordpress.com/2020/06/10/ann…

While I was still reeling a bit at the time from having to pull the plug on all that work (not to mention a very taxing school year--duh--and a tough year personally), I felt that the @researchED_US network could really use some insights from evidence-sturdy experts...

...and, though I knew nothing about online event-hosting, decided to cobble together an event design and begin hitting up contributors.

To my great delight, expert speakers from all over the world were willing to donate learning sessions--some by recorded video, others by sitting for live Zoom panels, etc., etc.

--and all within a time span of roughly five weeks. Tight, I know.

To recap, the week-long event had five thematic veins, which populated each day over that week's Monday-Friday:
* Administration/Policy
* Evidence-Supported Instructional Practices
* Educating for Justice
* Social and Emotional Learning
* Supporting Parents and Families

And check out this day-to-day content:
Day 1: Administration/Policy - researchedus2020.wordpress.com/2020/08/01/adm…

...featuring @JoshuaPStarr, @Khuff8, @rpondiscio, @douglasharris99, @karinchenoweth, @SonjaSantelises, @Remarsh76, @AndrewWatsonTTB, @VDarleenOpfer, and more.

Day 2: Evidence-Supported Instructional Practices - researchedus2020.wordpress.com/2020/08/01/evi…

w/ @BarryGarelick, @effortfuleduktr, @cara__jackson, @P_A_Kirschner/@C_Hendrick, @ostaff1, @amandavande1, @mpershan, @drheidibc, @PatriceBain1, & others. (Boggles, yes?! BUT WAIT: There's more!)

Day 3: Educating for Justice - researchedus2020.wordpress.com/2020/08/01/edu…

w/ @citizenstewart & @selmekki (in one of the best convos you'll ever hear; seriously, check it out--sorry I was sleeping on the 'record' button!), @educatorbarnes, @MsJasmineMN, & @calliepatton

Day 4: Social and Emotional Learning - researchedus2020.wordpress.com/2020/08/01/soc…

w/ @tombennett71, @thebandb, @NancyDuchesneau, @ijkelleher, and yours truly...

Day 5: Supporting Parents & Families - researchedus2020.wordpress.com/2020/08/01/sup…

w/ @esanzi, @kelamahree, @VesiaHawkins (HI VESIA!), @everyonereadste's Kate Mayer, @HKorbey, @AltB56073878/@smarterparrot, @liv2learn, @MoniseLSeward, and MORE.

Whew.

OOPS--Forgot to highlight this vein's main attraction: a live conversation with @dadams_SEL & @MsEFord!

Anyway...

We made it work and, from what I heard over that week and onward, many out there really appreciated it.
Also: the site had over 10,000 hits in its week of 'broadcast' (and has tripled that in the intervening years), so it's satisfying to know that rED reached so many.

And while the sessions definitely had a pandemic 'tilt' to them (I requested that presenters make this a piece, y'know, considering), I've left the site up because I still see a lot of anytime-applicability across that program.

So have at it, folks!

A big point of this thread, though, is to reflect a bit on how much has changed since that very hopeful week.

In my own life, my dear ma passed away four weeks after the event wrapped.

(If you see my background changing over the event, it's because I was back and forth from my place to my folks' over the course of it. Mom began her descent all as it was going on.)

This sent my pop, my brother, and me into a very tough time together before pop passed himself, six months to the day that ma died.

...which, then, began all those processes so many of y'all are well familiar with--all in the midst of a nutty school year (and, well, some other personal challenges of mine I don't tend to share much about).

But enough with what's been hard for me in the past two years. How's our field doing?

Well, it's fair to say that we've divided since that event 2 years ago. Looking over many of the program's names, I know that quite a few are currently at great odds with one another.

In fact, I may go as far as to say that you'll never catch some of those people at the same event ever again. :)

(And while this one was virtual, I've seen lots of these folks in person together at other rEDs I've organized, all sitting around the evidence-based-ed campfire.)

Been distressing to watch, for sure, and I can't really say how/if it turns around.

It's all been enough (when combined w/the personal stuff, especially) to make me pull out some from all the rED work. (I am glad to see, though, that others are picking up the ball. #rEDFred)

In all, it's really just a matter of that there's only so much heartbreak I can take.

And believe me: combine my personal stuff with what I've seen across the field in the past two years--and watching so much progress get dashed by the pandemic and culture wars...

...and there's a damned LOT of heartbreak going on over here. :)

Too much heartbreak, really, to keep doing on top of a very full-time job (that, luckily, I love). While funders could help on this front...

Okay, maybe I shouldn't start on that. :)

I'll wrap here by saying it was nice to re-visit that great event--all those amazing speakers, all their generosity, all the folks who watched/learned/participated, etc., etc. It reminds me just how good we can be when we work together.

Have a great day, all.