Definitely Unpredictable and Unimaginable
The name of my blog and the title of this post definitely describes the 2020-2021 school year. Never before and never again, I pray, will there be another school year like this one. I have thought many times that this year is quite possibly the worst and has there been anything good come from such an unpredictable and unimaginable year.
There have been a handful of times that I have thought we (all teachers) will not make till June. There have been a handful of times that I have asked myself how will we make it till June. There have been dozens of times that I thought this has got to be the most difficult year ever! Each time I had these thoughts I remembered my first year as a teacher and my last year in my former district. My first year was teaching severely emotionally disturbed 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders. I cried and prayed each day as I drove to school and as I drove home. I knew that if I made it to the end of that year that I could survive anything that would come my way as a teacher. In my last year, in my former district, I was beat down emotionally, manipulated and degraded by an individual who was the leader of the school. There were tears throughout that year and I had loss all self worth as a teacher. I knew if I made it to the end of the year and could relocate I would survive and flourish again.
Like the two years I just described, this school year has had its own set difficulties. It goes far beyond the wearing of a mask, staying socially distanced or frequently washing your hands. In a normal school year there is one “first day” of school. This year there have been six “first days” of school. Each six weeks students learning at home have the opportunity to start in person. May not sound like a big deal but when you have a group of students who have learned to follow procedures and expectations, a new student added to the class can sometimes throw all that hard work out the window and the teacher has to start over. In a normal school year students work in groups at stations for reading and math. This year students have had to work independently and with their own supplies and their own manipulatives. Books, papers and other things have to quarantine for several days after use. Until recently students couldn’t play on the playground. No student programs at PTA meetings because there are no in person PTA meetings. No classroom parties or field trips this year. I could go on but I won’t because I want to switch gears.
For every reason that this year has been difficult, good things have come from it. First, teachers have been reminded of just how amazing and resilient we are. We always meet difficulties head on, tackle them and claim victory. We had two weeks to learn how to reinvent ourselves as teachers. Everyone knew that was not enough time and so we went to on the job learning mode. We had to accept the fact that we were going to teach online and in person at the same time and for the same amount of pay. We understood that we were now the teacher and the custodian of our room since students would be eating breakfast and lunch in the classroom. We became what I call a “health facilitator” because we had to monitor the students health and communicate any concerns to the school nurse. We are wearing many “hats” this year and we are rocking them all.
As this school year quickly comes to an end, every teacher, wherever you are, should be proud of even the smallest amount of growth in a student. Some teachers and students have quarantined more than once because they tested positive for Covid or came in close contact. Whole classes have been quarantined because of exposure. To achieve any amount of growth in what can only be described as an unpredictable and unimaginable school year is simply amazing. Teachers when we leave school for summer loading our cars with work to prep for next year, say a prayer of thanks to God for bringing you through the crazy and let this be a year that reminds you that you can handle anything that comes your way as a teacher.
