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Dear Netflix

Kyle Hamstra

Dear Netflix,

Greetings to you from an inquisitive educator.

With COVID-19 circulating the globe, the world will never be the same. I’m wondering if now is the time to embrace change. I’m wondering if now is the time we move forward into a new frontier. I’m wondering if now is the time that you might consider my vision.

Like everyone amidst a global pandemic, educators find themselves in a precarious position. At first, I saw colleagues embrace self-care, which usually included a few conversations about exercise and what quality material to binge-watch on Netflix.

In the heat of the moment, some consultants, authors, and businesses even offered to stream their stuff for FREE, or at least to extend free material for a few months as a gesture of goodwill.

Next, I saw educators dashing to emergency online professional resources and development created–by educators–for educators–to try to figure out how to translate their instruction from the face-to-face setting to remote learning. While good-hearted, well-intending, resilient educators adapted with flexibility unprecedented, traditional structures crumbled. Financial hardships hit home. Inequities were exposed and acknowledged. While we did the best we could, valuable time and opportunities were lost.

How will we ensure that we have one, unified message moving forward, and that everyone will have access to high-quality teaching resources and learning opportunities?

Then, several venues, including most mega conferences, cancelled or postponed their main events. To this day, the productive struggle to migrate from the traditional conference to the virtual format is glaring. There’s a ton of logistics to consider, including all those behind-the-scenes moves unbeknownst to the general public.

Sadly, most educators will never get to experience a conference like this face-to-face, because they simply don’t have the means, the access, or the opportunity. Attending these conferences is like the chance of a lifetime. They’re usually very expensive in terms of registration, transportation, room and board, add-on exhibits, pre-conference sessions, souvenirs, and other related excursions. That is, if you choose the face-to-face conference format.

Now, school systems across the country are persevering through the reopening process, including how to provide quality learning experiences for students, and all in harmony with an attempt in meaningful, differentiated support for educators.

So, how are we doing so far? Are we providing educators with the support they need to make the best of online and blended instruction?

If we’re being honest, it’s not going as well as desired.

What if it could be better?

While I acknowledge that we can never replicate, reproduce, nor replace the personal, human connection in any face-to-face learning experience, I’m also wondering about the next-best-thing.

As a concerned educator, and in this year of all-things-2020, I’m  wondering:

What if there was an Educator Channel on Netflix? 

I’m not talking about documentaries for teachers to play in their classrooms, or even educational material for kids to access for off-campus learning.

Benefits for the Viewers

Benefits for the Presenters

More About the Netflix Educator Channel 

On a Personal Note

Right now, there’s an incredible gap between the Entertainment Industry’s unlimited reach and the needs of the Education System. Let’s bridge the gap–together.

It’s the right thing to do to ensure equitable access for professional development.

It’s the right time to move forward–together.

Netflix, presenters, and learners of all ages: Are you up for the opportunity?

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Very Sincerely,

Kyle Hamstra

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