Teaching this year has me feeling like a first-year teacher all over again, and I am trying to make the best out of the situation. There are so many things that are different about this school year that it is impossible to approach our jobs the same way. In order to address this year’s new challenges, a divided nation, a health crisis, teaching through a pandemic, a society reckoning with social justice, we can not plan/teach the same way or use the same materials. We have to start from scratch, and that is ok. Starting from scratch, with our music standards to guide us, provides the opportunity to really look at what we are teaching and how we are truly impacting our students. I am a goal-oriented person and my goals for this year are: To survive To keep the joy of music alive in my students And most importantly, to keep inclusion at the center of everything I do, “let them be seen” To keep inclusion at the center of my teaching, these are the things I keep in mind when I sit dow