A Litany of Thanks

 I know 2020 is a challenging year for everyone on many levels. But November is the month to remember reasons to be thankful. It's a matter of where you choose to place your focus. I could focus on the recent spikes in COVID cases leading to another round of partial business shut downs, the crazy political climate of the country, or even the wet weather with the sun setting before 5:00pm. But what will that accomplish? Instead, here is a list of things for which I am thankful.

• My student who was missing over 20 assignments turned in all of her late work last week.
• The adult sister of my student whose anxiety prevents her from participation in lessons or asking questions has jumped into help. We have scheduled daily check ins that have already improved work completion and the student's comprehension.
• I picked up a new virtual tutoring student based on a referral from my current student's family. The email that connected me to the new family included the words, "my son's awesome writing tutor!"
• I received a set of fabulous thank you cards from my students this week (did you know it's teacher appreciation week?) - heartfelt and funny. They made me smile, laugh, and cry.

• I have been told by a couple of co-workers that they are hearing positive things about me from the parent community, including how clear it is how much I care about the kids.
• I got to share my DIG Field School experience with my students as part of the anchor phenomenon to our new science unit.

• There are no lessons to plan for next week because it is fall conferences followed by Thanksgiving.
• On the last day of restaurants allowing dine in customers prior to the current shut down, my oldest child requested dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory. Just the two of us ended up a nearly empty restaurant for dinner and had fantastic conversation. My 18 year old is funny, observant, thoughtful, and reflective.
• The funny positions my 16 year old has always chosen for working or reading.

• Eight months into working from home during a global pandemic, my husband still makes me laugh nearly every day. 
• I get to hear my husband literally laughing and clapping during work meetings on a daily basis.
• Students posting connections between lessons and their real lives in Google Classroom.

• A friend recommended a mutual friend ask my advice on navigating the behavioral health system on behalf of their adopted child. My advice was well received.
• I have been reconnecting with my friends in California during the pandemic.
• Being told I'm having a "good face day on Zoom" by a parent during a meeting.
• Being told by a fellow teacher that she took a class on building relationships during remote learning and she kept thinking of me because she feels I do this well.
• Social media has allowed me to keep seeing the faces of family and friends in other states and countries.

Suddenly It's November

 My school has stopped giving projected dates for when more grades will return to the classroom. K-2 have been back for a few weeks, and we thought 3-5 would follow quickly, but the local case numbers have been on the rise ever since the younger kids went back into the building. We went from projecting end of October, to projecting beginning of November, and have landed at reminding families we won't be going back without giving them 10 days of notice. For the time being, coming on campus requires a daily individual health screening.

If I have to teach virtually, I prefer to teach from home. The lack of a commute is a bonus, but not the reason that my preference hinges upon. I signed up for the 10 miles of heavy freeway traffic when I took the job. But I have a great home set up. I'm lucky enough to have space in my bedroom for a large desk with a huge monitor and a purple gaming chair. The desk is even sit-to-stand. I have a nice enough chair at school, and I use the SmartBoard as a second monitor, but there's something surreal about being in the classroom without students. And the SmartBoard is showing its age, not always working well enough to be used as a second monitor, thus relegating me to struggle to navigate multiple windows, each with multiple tabs, on a small laptop screen while attempting to maintain student attention.

Did I mention that there's something surreal about being at school these days? I have one student who comes for an in person session once a week. It's the hardest thing to not walk up to her computer and help her navigate by pointing at her screen or performing the needed key strokes for her.  It's nice to hear the kids and teachers in the two classes that are in person on my hallway, but the sense of normalcy falls away when you peek inside the rooms and see the kids physically distanced, wearing masks, behind clear plastic shields.

I saw about a third of my students in person on Friday when our grade was invited to attend mass in person. It was so good to see them, and a good reminder to me at just how little most fourth graders are. Coming back down to primary after several years in middle school has left me working to find the right balance for my newest group of students. I am continually second guessing my expectations, looking to challenge my students without overwhelming them. Thankfully, many of my students seem to be coping with distance learning well, showing evidence of having fun and learning on a regular basis. They just turned in realistic fiction stories, and they were very cute. I enjoyed reading their short stories, smiling and laughing at quite a few of them. Thankfully, their parents appear to appreciate my efforts as well.

We are making the best of the situation, looking for creative ways to participate in the annual October activities. The jog-a-thon was dubbed a move-a-thon this year, but we still chose a theme and dressed up in costumes. My grade band team still picked a Halloween theme and made sure to take a picture.

November comes with the teaching interruptions of conferences and Thanksgiving. Thanks to "falling back" to standard time my area is now seeing the sun set in the four o'clock hour. It's traditionally a hard month. December is generally easier, with holiday festivities, a two week break, and reaching the solstice  which will mean we will begin gaining minutes of daylight each day once again. But first we have to get through this month.