If you had asked me at the beginning of 2020 how I thought it would go, I would never have been able to even imagine the effects that this pandemic is happening to our lives right now. I would never have imagined that schools in all of North America, not to mention many other countries around the world, would be closed – many until the end of the school year. I would not have been able to guess that many people would either lose their jobs or be working from home. And I would not have been able to guess that doctors and nurses would be scared going to work because of the overwhelming number of patients that are sick with a life-threatening disease. These only name a few of the professions that have drastically changed over the last two months. Everyone has been faced with a drastic change in their life.
Heres a teachers feelings on what has happened:
September began a brand new year where I got to meet a new class, my class, my kids. Each one of them over the next week or two will grab a different piece of my heart and become “mine” as we learn, grow, and work together. Over the year we explore our world, face complex math challenges (telling time, fractions, algebra, etc.) and we continue to grow closer together as a community, a class, a family. March 13, 2020 ends like any other day where we watch our “kids” pack their backpacks and head home for the weekend. However, without any warning, buildings are closed, we have 30 minutes to gather what we may need from our classroom (in some cases shorter, while in other cases longer) to teach from home for an unknown amount of time. We are heartbroken. We never got to say goodbye. We don’t know when or how we can see our students again. We hear stories from parents about how much their child misses us. And then we are thrown into a whole new world of teaching – completely digital. How can we reach each child? How can i read their subtle body language for clues as to whether or not they are understanding the concepts i am trying to teach. What about my children who are not able to access the internet? So many questions, so few answers but we press on and try to make the most of it.
May 5 is considered to be Teacher Appreciation Day. May 6-12 in the USA and 11-17 in Canada National Nursing Week. These are just two of the many professions that are working hard to keep our mixed-up lives as normal as possible. This week, take the time to find a way to thank them. Here are some ideas:
- Create a thank you card and mail it to someone you know who works in one of the essential or “last line of defense” jobs
- What about a “silent hero”?
- Create a sign and hang it in your front window for people to see as they walk past. What about getting your parents to post it on social media for you using special hashtags such as #thankatrucker
- Find a need that you can help fill by donating items