New Week - New Perspective

 A look inside the walls of a school during 2021:

Your child boards a bus masked sitting with a sibling or cousin.  If they share a seat, there is a chart denoting who was a close contact to whom.

Your child enters school to sit at a desk as close to 3 feet apart from every child in their room and 6 feet from the adults.

Your child has lunch at a table of 4 soon to be a table of 2...

Your child can have a mostly normal unmasked recess.

But your child is in school and not virtual...this is really the ultimate goals to keep students in schools and learning as much as possible.  It can be a scary time for everyone.  Everything feels so routine but still so unknown.  

This year brings a new twist...teachers with LONG periods of quarantine to take care of themselves or their children/husbands.  How do you replace a teacher for 10-30 days with nearly zero subs and limited staff to substitute in a building?

GET CREATIVE!!!

Currently, I am subbing in a classroom for another 8 days and so is the librarian.  Other teachers are covering specials including the guidance counselor, the emotional support teacher, the principals, teachers from other buildings after their day is over, and MORE!  There is a rotation of learning support and title teachers and special area teachers teaching in classrooms.  Some days are almost normal...others are a puzzle that has to be completed by 8:50!  God Bless the front office staff and admin that have to figure this out!

I have run the gamut of emotions on not teaching my class.  However, I feel like I need to focus on the STUDENTS.  I am able to create a level of normalcy for this classroom.  They know that I will be there each day to guide them and learn with them.  The students know me and I know them.  It is what is best to continue to educate these young people.  To teach the curriculum.  To provide them some level of stability even if us adults are spinning out of control (mentally and emotionally).

I will go in tomorrow morning ready to SERVE my students...to follow my directives...to teach these darlings.  I will get to finish my farm to table lesson soon enough (hope the eggs do not spoil in the meantime).  

Everyone is really getting a chance to see how things work in another room...to see the other side of education through this experience.  Maybe I will learn how to support a teacher more.  Touch a student's life.  Allow the principal/administration to keep the building open for in person education for 1 more day!  

Find the silver lining...step up to the plate...think of the stakeholders...think of these little people...take it one day at a time.  

My mental pep talk is - I CAN DO THIS!!!  WE CAN DO THIS!!!