We didn’t plan this.
There was no “Teaching During a Pandemic 301” in college.
Our lesson plans weren’t structured for hybrid learning.
“Turn on your camera for attendance, please.”
“No wait – turn them off” – we respect your right to privacy.
“Here’s how to change your background on Zoom so that we can’t see your surroundings.”
“Sweetie, you’re on mute – I can’t hear you.”
We thrive on students, lots of them, physically in our classroom.
We didn’t plan on cleaning our classroom bathroom after every visit – even in the middle of a lesson.
We want to walk to your child’s desk without a mask.
We want to hug them.
We want to see them and give them direct instruction – every day.
We didn’t plan this.
They didn’t plan this.
There was no “Pandemic Principals 591” in their Master’s programs.
No training in the world could possibly prepare someone for running a school in this unprecedented time.
Or a district office.
Their school safety plans and scheduling weren’t structured for hybrid learning.
Our administrative teams thrive on full buildings, five days a week, and unrestricted access to their staff.
Not Teams meetings and virtual PD.
Our district level staff thrives on being able to meet the needs of the students by implementing district policies and plans that educate and nurture – in person.
No schedule, announcement, or learning plan will fit the needs of ALL students.
And they know that.
And it kills them.
They didn’t plan this.
Your child didn’t plan this.
They didn’t plan on walking in without mom or dad on the first day of 4k.
They didn’t plan on virtual learning in the 3rd grade and crying over lessons on Reflex Math.
No child wants to sit behind a plexiglass desk cubicle in a room without many of their friends.
No student wants to discuss the colonial regions in a class of two.
They want to play on the playground.
Walk mask-free in the hallways.
And eat lunch in the cafeteria.
And hug their friends.
This is not fair to them.
They didn’t plan this.
Working parents didn’t plan this.
We didn’t plan to scramble for childcare every week, at the mercy of the latest school schedule.
We didn’t plan for MiMis and PaPas to do school pickup because the after-school programs are canceled.
We didn’t plan on virtual learning with our children at 9:00pm because we know they won’t have access to WiFi while we’re at work the next day.
We didn’t plan on missing days at our job and losing pay because our kids can’t go to school.
We didn’t plan this.
No one saw this coming.
No one knew how long it would last.
No one understood just how much our lives would change when reports of COVID starting rolling in.
And whether you’ve been hiding out in your house since March or walking the aisles of Wal-Mart mask free, your life has changed. Our routines are anything but routine and we’re all one schedule change away from a total breakdown.
We’re ALL constantly juggling life in this new normal.
Including our children.
And it’s not ideal. Period.
Teachers and administrators are literally re-writing the rules of education overnight…
And its still not enough.
Healthcare looks completely different than it did six months ago…
And its still not enough.
Businesses are half-staffed, overworked and under-crowded – some even shutting their doors forever….
And its still not enough.
In this chaotic, frustrating and seemingly never-ending “new normal”, why are we not affording more grace? To our teachers, our district staff, our waiters, our nurses….ourselves? NO ONE in this nation knows the exact right answer. We are ALL out here building the plane as we fly it. Instead of bashing each other on social media, why aren’t we trying to help? Why are we teaching our kids that tagging a business or school district on Facebook (with an ALL CAPS RANT ABOUT EVERYTHING YOU HATE) is a proper way to communicate? Why are we pitting ourselves against each other on so many levels in a time where we need each other more than ever?
I didn’t plan this.
You didn’t plan this.
No one planned this.
But its our reality.
And you can either wallow in grief for the “normal” life we lost, – or you can be positive and productive about a future we all crave.
words you asked for {+some you didn't} 