October

 Happy weekend!  Last week was a doozy. It's October, and somehow every October I am reminded that during my first year of teaching this is the month I was ready to throw in the towel and find another career. Given that I wanted to be a teacher since I was in kindergarten leaving the profession after only one month should have been a scary thought. But in my memory, I felt relieved. As a first year teacher I still felt responsible for my students - I knew I couldn't leave them or the school in the lurch, so I decided to suck it up for eight months. But in October of that first year I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I would not be back the following fall.

Obviously I didn't quit. But twenty one years later, October is still a hard hitting month. The change in weather, the fewer hours of sunlight, the end of ramping up, the start of end of unit tests and projects, the first round of standardized testing, the beginning of chasing missing work, and discovering which parents are over-involved and which don't respond to emails all adds up. 

COVID protocols add to the fatigue, but not as much as I thought they would. Our rolling drop off (from 8:00am to 8:45am) and staggered dismissal (where kids with K-2 siblings leave at 2:45 but the rest stay until 3:00) are a pain to navigate. There is so much time where so many kids have little to nothing to do. But my class is super well behaved. I have helpers who plug chrome books back on the cart at the end of the day and straighten the books on the shelf without being asked. Most sit and read or draw comics. A few are learning to use the time to complete missing work. 

Creating out of paper and drawing are huge too. So much so that last week I had to tell students to bring in their own paper to use. The plane above was accompanied by an amazing paper tank by the end of the week.  After I declared my paper off limits, I took a large piece of paper and wrote "4th Grade Is..." and put it on the low table in the front of my room. I'm limiting the number of students who can work on it at one time in order to maintain physical distancing so students are impatiently waiting their turn. Most who have had a turn have already asked for a second go.

Many of my kiddos have also used some of the time to draw pictures for me. My collection has grown since this photo was taken, and I am already trying to decide where else I can add new artwork as it comes in. Usually I leave it up all year and file it in the spring. This year I may have to take down the art gifted to me at the trimester break in early December to make room for more creations.

I do have to keep reminding myself that this group of kids have not experienced a "normal" school year since they were in first grade. They went home to an online education experience in March of second grade, and began third grade on Zoom. Some of them finished third grade at home while their peers were in the classroom. The hybrid teaching model was monumentally hard on teachers, and students in both groups were shorted the "best" any teacher had to offer. 

So really, it is not surprising that some are struggling with the academic expectations and others appear socially immature for their age. Meeting kids where they are and working to move them forward is my job. I love it, even when it gets challenging. But when it gets challenging, having a group of like-minded colleagues who are also close friends is extraordinarily helpful. 

A little teacher TikTock also helps to remind me of the humor in nearly every situation. One of my good friends posts gems on a regular basis, and teachers at my school are amazing at finding bits that keep us laughing.