Ready or Not: Back to School

I’m feeling so blessed lately that I am in that RETIRED teacher group.  I don’t think anyone would have a hard time figuring that out right now! Can you imagine being in the classroom these days? Well, so many of my friends still are, and I am AMAZED at what they are managing.  While I can enjoy this Labor Day Weekend, I know they will all be putting those final touches on what’s about to start on Tuesday, their first day of school.

I remember well my excited exhaustion back when I was one of them: Was my classroom organized? Did I have the right posters on my walls? Was my lesson plan ready to go with the materials I needed for at least day 1? Did I have my classroom library organized? Was I ready to share my expectations while I got to know the students who would enter my room? Those concerns are still there for teachers this year who are doing both face-to-face and remote teaching. That used to be enough, but not this year.

As I talk to teachers I hear: Should I use zoom or schoology to connect with my virtual learners? Will my document camera be the tool I use, so my students at home can see what I’m doing here at school? Is Google Classroom ready to go? Are my desks spaced far enough apart? How many mask changes will I need to make on a daily basis?  How can I speak clearly enough so the kids hear me through my mask? And I’m sure this list goes on; I’m not living it, so this is just what I’ve heard. My head spins a little thinking about these new worries!

I guess what I want those wonderful teachers to know is don’t forget to take care of yourselves.  I hope that is what you’re hearing today.  I know one thing the pandemic brought most of us was getting enough sleep.  My guess is my teacher friends aren’t doing that right now.  As I share my “retired teacher wisdom” (if there is such a thing), I’m sharing now what I wish I would have realized while I was still in the classroom. 

• You don’t have to be perfect! Living with a soon to be high school freshman, I know he’s just ready to be in the same building with some of his friends who he hasn’t seen since March, even if they are wearing masks and staying 6 feet apart. When I told him teachers are going to be teaching the kids in the class AT THE SAME TIME as they are teaching kids at home, he said, “wow, that’s kinda hard on the teachers.” I think by just showing up, you’ll meet the expectations of the kids in the classroom. And the kids at home? You all know what you’ve got this year beats what they saw last spring!
• You are ready enough! Will there be tech issues? Probably. Will there be students not following some of the new requirements? Of course. You can’t fix it all, and that is not your fault.  Don’t blame yourself when things go wrong. 
• Be kind to yourself! You’ve got the best support system out there: one another.  That’s probably what I missed most when I retired were my teacher friends who got me through it. Keep having fun with your teacher friends.  Give yourself a treat; you deserve it! If someone has offered to help, TAKE IT! (Some of you know I’m talking to you!)

Educating our children in 2020 is possible because of the wonderful teachers out there who willingly keep showing up, try LOTS of new things, care about our kids, and most of all, show kindness through it all.  Let’s not forget to keep appreciating them even more once school begins!