Is It Over Yet?
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.
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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.
Teaching from a Cart: Tales from an Elementary Spanish Teacher
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.