And That's a Wrap! Year 33: The Year We Were Quarantined

It's been 3 insane, interesting, and incredible months since I last wrote.
Yesterday was the last day of the school year,
our last Zoom meeting,
and annual slideshow.

It was Year #33 for me.
How did I celebrate?
I took a 3 hour nap in the middle of the day.
It was needed.

It was unlike any year I have experienced.

I didn't get to take my class to the California Science Center, Huntington Library, Shane's Inspiration, Tanaka Farms, Cabrillo Beach, The Getty Center, or Obregon Park for our annual last day.

But I did get to take them to the Skirball Museum, Petersen Automobile Museum, Natural History Museum, Music Center, Olvera Street, La Plaza de Cultural y Artes, City Hall, OUE Skyspace, Central Library, Union Station, and visited our neighborhood businesses.

I didn't get to teach science in spring.

But I did discover the lifecycle in my backyard. I found ladybug eggs, watched them hatch, shared mulberries with grasshoppers, and found out that if you transplant a milkweed, monarch caterpillars will come.

I didn't get to plant seeds and watch them sprout in a baggie taped to the window.

But I did sprout avocado seeds for the first time! Two of them!

I didn't get to help students created their self portraits and paint on canvas during our ART study.

But I did learn how to hold a Zoom Meeting and do art together virtually and 

I did create art on poster boards, cardboard, and canvas!

I didn't get a week off for spring break so I could complete my National Board Renewal writing.

But I did complete it, a month later than I had planned.

I didn't get to sit in the stands at USC, SDSU, CSUF, and high school campuses around Los Angeles to cheer on people I love, as they graduated with high school diplomas, Bachelors and Masters degrees.

But we did celebrate their accomplishments in different ways, 

whether virtually, drive by, or stop by, I'm extremely proud of them all!

I didn't get to teach face to face for 58 days.

But I did learn to teach from a distance. 

I did get a $1000 grant and projects funded from Donorschoose. 

I did get to bring surprises, smiles, and supplies. 

(I know where each of my students live now.)

I did get to connect more with families. 

I did get to learn how to teach in different ways.

I did complete year 33 of teaching in LAUSD.

I don't know what year 34 will look like.

But I do know it will be okay, different, but we will make it through.

Just like we did this year.

The year we were quarantined.