Please let's be done with pandemic teaching
This year, guys.
We struggled. We limped. We cried. We tried to laugh instead of crying. We stared into space, unsure of where to go next. We felt exhaustion unlike any before.
We made plans and then changed them. And changed them again. We modified or completely re-made teaching materials. We tried to refrain from banging our heads on the desk.
We connected with colleagues, knowing they felt the same. We could see it in their eyes–above their mask.
We taught kindergarteners who had forgotten or never learned how to “do school.” We showed more patience and flexibility than we thought possible.
We faked a positive attitude more often than in normal years. We drove home in silence at the end of the day because we couldn’t take any more stimulation.
We took the evenings and weekends to slowly put our broken selves back together only to return to school Monday and start the process over again.
We took personal and mental health days that were so necessary and also not enough. We hung on for dear life.
To all teachers who taught in this pandemic, I see you.
The longest school year of our lives is coming to a close.
This year my “Professional Practice Goal” was to still be a teacher next year. I think my principal was taken aback when I told him at the start of the year. Did I really sound that crazy, though?
I now see how spot on that goal was. I do think I’ll be a teacher next year so here’s to probably meeting that goal.
Being with my students these last days is the only thing that keeps me going. They are so dear to me. In all the craziness, they still learned. It wasn’t always pretty but we kept them engaged and they learned.
We did good work.
Reading and playing. I know, not new concepts. Especially for an elementary teacher! That said, these words have been a game changer for me. They have helped me find more joy in a job I already loved. Even more importantly, they have helped me teach more effectively.
I keep these words in mind when I think about and plan lessons for my elementary Spanish students. A few years ago I started intentionally re-thinking how I teach with an increased focus on playing. Play combined with reading has had an incredible impact on my teaching.
Reading in the Elementary Spanish classroom
Over time, I have learned that even our young learners benefit from reading-focused activities in their new language. I know our youngest learners are still learning to read in their first language, but that doesn’t mean they can’t read in their second language as well.
Using simple readers like Mundo de Pepita’s booklets was my first introduction to reading with my students and not just to them. I love sitting in a circle and pointing to the words as we say them together. After that we take turns and volunteers get to read the different pages. Then (in the years pre-covid) I encouraged students to read on their own to a friend or stuffed animal. Gosh I miss those days and look forward to their eventual return.
One of my favorite things about reading with students is that they get to experience the language in the context of sentences. After reading and repeating a simple sentence structure many times, students start to internalize it. After time the goal is for them to create that sentence on their own, right? Reading is a most important way to model language for students. I used to think young learners only needed oral input, but I’m here to tell you they can and should be reading as well!
Playing in the Elementary Spanish classroom
We all have more fun when I plan with the idea of “play” in mind. Not only are we having fun, but after a few months I saw students acquiring the Spanish language faster and with more ease. It’s so exciting to witness students using their new language spontaneously!
When students are playing a game in class, they don’t even realize they are learning. We all love hearing “aww, it’s over already?” when it’s time to finish up class. There’s a true sign students are engaged and focused on your learning goals.
Now, when I talk about playing in class, please don’t hear me saying we play just for the sake of having fun. I’m talking about intentional, linked to my learning goals, play while using the target language.
I’m pretty sure my background in being a camp counselor helped me build up this skill–but, I can turn almost anything into a game. (And you can too, I promise.) I use a few different techniques and I’m sure there are others. It’s important for teachers to find strategies that work best for them and their personality.
Here are some favorite ways to increase the sense of play:
High energy—When the teacher is excited / pumped and having fun, most students will automatically be excited. Starting an activity or lesson with high energy gets students engaged right away. Then you can move the lesson in a more relaxed or calm direction.
Suspense, Surprises, & Secrets–Anything that keeps students guessing brings a playful sense of excitement to your classroom.
Chants—This might be my summer camp background but I often find myself clapping rhythms and making up chants within my lessons. This can be spur of the moment or chants made ahead of time to help learn a new concept or vocabulary.
As you’re planning or brainstorming in the future, I hope you’ll look for ways to bring more intentional reading and “play” into your lessons.
If you’re interested in receiving email updates when new blog posts are published, sign up on our email list below!
The common 2020 phrase “We’ve got this” got old for me real fast. It didn’t bother me at first; but as the struggle increased and my goals shifted towards survival, I started to bristle each time I came across that phrase.
When we’re dealing with something hard, let’s name that. This is hard. This is SO hard. Learning to accept that we’re living and working under difficult circumstances is way more helpful than a flippant positive phrase, “We’ve got this!”
After we acknowledge the struggle, we can work on managing the day to day. We don’t have to “have this” in order to make it through this crazy time. We simply need to handle the present moment to the best of our ability. I think dealing with the ever changing reality helped me to truly start focusing on one day at a time. Completely re-doing plans on a minutes notice forces us not to look too far ahead anyway. Who wants to make plans that might get thrown out the window tomorrow? I’m a big fan of “tentative planning” this year. As in, I have an idea of where we’ll be next week but I’m not planning much further out.
One Day at a Time
When no one has the answers and everyone is figuring things out as they go, the best bet is to take things one day at a time. If that’s too much, break it down even further. Just make it through the morning, or your first class. If you’re struggling, please know I have been too. There are better days and days that seem hard for no reason at all. Just do your best and that’s all you can do.
Push Back
This brings me to my biggest takeaway from recent months. In our profession as educators, it seems we are always prepared and willing to “figure it out” and “make it work.”
Why must we accept this pressure time and time again? Requesting more resources or more time should not feel like we didn’t do our job or accomplish our goals. This year especially, we are asked to do too much. What if we pushed back a little and started working to balance our jobs with our lives? What would it feel like to do as much as you can in one day and then go home and start again the next day?
I know what you’re probably thinking. The job of a teacher is never done. There is no way to accomplish all the tasks on our list in 40 hours each week. BUT! I realized I cannot go on without at least attempting to find a better balance. I used to push myself to go above and beyond in everything. I take pride in my work and I want to do my best for my students. That said, a burnt out Señora isn’t what’s best for them.
Taking time and space for myself and my family makes me a better teacher. Slowing down makes me a better teacher. I know it’s always a work in progress–but I encourage you to find some way to slow down or find balance. It might not happen every day, but a start is a start! Easing up on yourself at least some of the time will help you make it through the other long days.
