This is how I left our classroom at the end of December.
We were told to have it "ready" for students when we get back.
We removed the rugs.
We put the manipulatives in our shed.
We took toys home.
We put playhouses away.
We gave away books.
There is no more library corner.
There isn't much left.
Since December, I have been teaching from home.
Teaching is not hard for me.
I live it,
I love it,
it's me.
What is hard
is teaching at home with a teen in the next room.
A teen that reminds me every single day that he is unhappy,
being a teen living in a pandemic,
A teen that has lost interest in learning,
A teen that lacks motivation
and could care less about attending classes online,
a teen whose only 14th birthday wish
is to spend some time with his best friend
that he hasn't seen in a year.
A teen that constantly reminds me that
no adult could possibly understand.
So when this hit the news last night-
my first thought was,
parents are going to think school will be opened.
We are not.
We have a Superintendent
and a teachers' union
that won't let that happen
until safety measures are met,
and school staff is vaccinated.
Other school districts have been or will open now.
As a teacher,
and a parent,
I am torn.
I want to teach.
I want to teach in person.
I want to support students,
I want to support families,
I want my child to been able to see his friends.
I want him to feel normal again.
but I don't want schools to open
and shut, and open and shut again.
I don't want students to get sick,
I don't want my child to get sick,
I don't want to get sick,
I don't know how this will end.
Until then,
I will keep on teaching,
from a distance,
doing all I can,
to keep my students interested,
happy, and motivated to sign in each day,
and hope that someday soon
my teen will feel normal again.
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