Everyone is at their wit's end. These are the words my husband said to me when, on my second curriculum night, I had a parent email with concerns that were identical to a different parent's concerns that had been the cause of a series of emails that ended with the parent basically saying, "Oh, okay. Thank you." Both families were asking for information that they had already been provided. This kind of thing happens every year, as parents and teachers get to know one another's styles. But this year the tone felt more anxious and more stressed. Of course parents are more anxious and more stressed this year. It was a good reminder for me and helped me shift my perspective on having to go through the same discussion all over again.
It's just the weirdest year ever. On top six months of the "new normal," the west coast got hit with massive wildfires this week. Those of us who are lucky enough to not have to worry about losing our homes are now advised to stay indoors with the windows shut against the worst air quality in the world. Now we all have COVID-19 symptoms: Cough? Check. Sore throat? Check. Shortness of breath? Check.
Okay, so even though the list of woes could go on and on (the online grading system wouldn't accept new assignments today, part of a pier in Seattle fell into the water yesterday), that's not actually what I want to focus on today.
Distance learning presents all kinds of challenges, but my students make me smile every day. From the student who brings his guinea pig to the camera during "recess" every day and the one that *needed* to apologize for his brother washing his hands in the background, to the one who sends me stickers and emojis every day through Gmail chat. Their earnestness, eagerness to share, and genuine innocence are why I do this. Of course there's also the student who needs me to contact her mom before she shows up to math class (every day), the one who has to have an individual video chat to ensure he understands and gets his work turned in, and the one who has thus far refused all interaction except to type "here" in a private chat with me for the daily attendance check. But all of their parents are supportive and want to help find solutions that fit their child's specific needs. In the greater scheme of things, these issues might even pave the way for me to build relationships with the individual students and their families. I see a silver lining in every one of the "problems" that have presented in my virtual classroom so far this year.
Kids are still kids. They want to share their worlds with a trusted audience that will genuinely *see* them. I think it's harder for them to feel seen with computer screens and cameras in between them and the world, but it's certainly not impossible. During our optional Zoom lunch last week, I brought my tortoise to the webcam for my students to see, and was told she is "EPIC!" Besides the aforementioned guinea pig, I've been introduced to little siblings, a bird, and several dogs. I've been told about an awesome skateboard camp in California (that my student has not yet attended) and pulled into a discussion about the recent Sounders games (defeat on home turf against our major rivals on Sunday, 7-1 win on Thursday).
This school year is not at all normal. Teachers have been asked to learn new skills and many are finding the burden more than they can handle. I would encourage anyone in this position to reflect on the reasons they love teaching and what made them choose this occupation among the myriad of options. I had a student have a lightbulb moment last week, complete with a gasp and her eyes going wide. While working to revise a poem she had written for an assignment on personification, she learned that not all poetry rhymes. Once she was free of that internal requirement, she was able to complete the assignment quickly and, with humor:
She was a swimmer say the goggles and flippers by the lake on a hot summer day,
And a fast skier too, say the trophies in a case in her room,
And a reader say the stack of graphic novels on a big and tall shelf,
But not a girl who eats her veggie-terribles, say the asparagus and broccoli in the garbage.
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