Teaching in a pandemic--Take 3

 My second year back in second grade after a 5 year hiatus (to teach Pre-K) felt amazing. I loved my students, and they worked harder than any class I'd ever taught. We had a system down that made everyone feel safe to learn at their own pace in their own way. Who knew we'd only make it to spring break together that year, at least in a physical setting. That particular class had to finish out the year at home, meeting with me on Google Meet, finding their own manipulatives to learn at home, and figure out their own structure for how they could learn best. Sadly, as much as I reached out, I could not help all of them in the same way, and not all of them had the support at home necessary to keep thriving. 

What did I take away from that year? To appreciate today and make it count. 

Then came my third year back in second grade. The class that started out the year at home. Teaching during a pandemic Take 2.

We had a bit more structure, they had the necessary technology to "show up" to class, and the majority of parents had some kind of system figured out for this new way of education to work. Teachers had sufficient time for training and also for planning out lessons, making videos, etc. For the most part, other than the disruption of trying to get kids to take a national achievement test remotely, it worked. I enjoyed online teaching, when they were all at home. It also helped that at least half of them already knew me and had a relationship with me, as they were my last class I taught in Pre-K before moving back to second grade. They already held a special place in my heart. 

Then little by little, they started to come back to school. At first, I had about half at school and half at home. Then week by week, another parent felt safe enough to send their child back, and the "face2face" group grew. I felt less safe and more stretched every day, somehow expected to teach two groups of kids without the time to effectively plan out lessons for my virtual students. And having students online stole time and attention to effectively teach the group right in front of me. Two months in, COVID found me and knocked me down, literally, for pretty much the rest of the year. Nine months later, and I'm still recovering. I missed more school last year than I ever have in all eighteen years of teaching, and I saw more doctors in a span of a few months than I ever have seen in my life up to this point--all due to COVID, and also to the fact that the stress and workload put on my as a teacher gave my mind and body no time to recover. Sometimes God sends us into a battlefield, and the 2020/21 school year was my war zone. 

To sum it up, last year's model did NOT work. It stole from every side of the triangle--from the in person kids, from the virtual learners, and from the teachers. And the effects will be evident for years to come. 

What did I take away from that year? Give myself grace. My own health and sanity matter more than being successful at my job, especially considering that my job did not provide what was necessary to be successful, anyway. 

So I spent my six weeks of summer break hanging out on my bike, grabbing lunch or coffee with friends, and making crafts with my mom. Low key, low stress. Barely even thought about school.

And now here we are into my fourth year back in second grade, still in the pandemic. 

Teaching in the pandemic--Take 3. 

All the kids are back. The hallways, classrooms, cafeteria, and playground are full. For the most part, kids are in masks, though it's gone back and forth as to whether or not they're required. I feel safer for everyone when they're in a mask, and I'm thankful that the population I teach supports that. In just the second week of school, at least a fourth of my class missed several days of class due to being sick or someone in the family being sick. I've had to contact parents only to find out they gave their child medicine and sent them on to school. The virus is still spreading. Some schools have less active cases than others. All it takes is one child to come to school sick before several students (and their families) are affected. 

Definitely not ideal teaching. Definitely can turn into a dangerous situation quickly. But definitely better than last year's model. I find myself just focusing on the day, or even on the hour, at hand. Not planning much ahead, not even trying to get ahead. Maybe falling on my face right before school started had an impact on my mindset, teaching me to let go of what I just cannot physically do. But with kids out for a week at a time, I feel like I'm doing a lot of back tracking, constantly having to reteach to someone. And we're only fifteen days in. 

The effects of last year have already become quite apparent. Our kids lack social skills, for sure. Now that they're in such close proximity to each other again, they don't know how to act or what to do or say. They don't ever stop talking, so I finally accepted the fact that my need for quiet moments in order to collect my thoughts just isn't going to happen for awhile. I'm having to give them opportunities to talk and share more within the lesson because they just NEED that social interaction. Fine motor skills and self-organizational skills are several steps behind what they normally would be for their age. Academic skills are all over the place, with some students that absolutely thrived on the virtual model while others very obviously had no structure or support. Now the big push is small group teaching, which truly is the only way to teach right now with so many kids on so many different levels. 

My first two weeks, I could do very little due to my injury from falling. My goal was to make it through the day and somehow keep everyone corralled. Week 3 I finally felt much better, had a lot more mobility, could actually bend over to put some books and supplies away, and I welcomed parents from at least 15 of my students to visit my classroom and learn more about how my class will (likely) run for the year. That parent night always energizes me and reminds me of my why. As I interact with families from Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador, I remember the dream God gave me as a middle school child to become bilingual someday. I thought I needed to learn Spanish in order to fulfill a calling outside of my own country, but as soon as I came home from studying abroad in college, God started bringing children and families from many nations right to my doorstep. It is truly and honor and a privilege to serve such. a multicultural class by giving them the skills they need to be successful in life. 

As I headed out the door on my way to the doctor last Monday, a Guatemalan student from last year's class saw me, reached into her backpack, and handed me an envelope. Tucked inside, I found the most precious letter thanking me for working so hard to teach her Math the year before. She said, "I keep thinking about you, the best teacher in the world." She has no idea how deeply that letter touched me or how she truly made my day. 

Even in the midst of a horribly stressful year, when I felt so defeated as a teacher, I still made a difference. 

So whether it's Take 1, Take 2, or Take 3, it all matters. And God is still using me and equipping me for the job, or battle, in front of me.