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The TBD Year

It's August 2021 and I'm knee deep in summer vacation. After a month of my boy being in summer camp, we are spending the rest of vacation at the beach...and loving every second of it. But, in the back of my mind, I am always thinking about the coming school year (which starts on my birthday no less). And now that it's August, the thoughts that were hanging out in the back of my mind have started to creep forward. I'm trying hard to enjoy what is left of the care free dog days of summer but the teacher part of my brain can't be quieted. So here I am at 10pm, in the bottom bunk of my son's bed, getting some of those thoughts down on virtual paper so maybe they will quiet the heck down!

Here is where my brain jumble is right now as a neatly organized, bulleted list:

  • I haven't stepped foot into a classroom since March 12, 2020 (except for two days in September when I wasn't sure if I would get a medical accommodation for the 2020-2021 school year).
  • For the last year and a half I have only taught virtually.
  • My son also hasn't been in a school since March 12, 2020.
  • I teach science. Teaching science virtually is......crummy. Science should be experienced and that's really hard to do with 150 middle school students learning virtually.
  • I have no idea if I will be teaching virtually again for the new school year even though I will be back in the school building.
  • And, as we all know, anything the powers that be say about the state of schools in Covid can change on a dime and we have to be ready to pivot immediately.
  • I want to start planning but.....see above bullet points.
  • I have been teaching seventh grade for the past six years (as long as I have been in my current school) but in the coming school year I am moving to sixth grade.
    • Cool. Sub-bullets.
    • Sixth grade is an entirely different curriculum.
    • I loved my seventh grade curriculum and I am bummed I have to change it.
    • Oh, and I am moving to a different, smaller, non-science specific classroom.
    • I have A LOT of crap to move.
    • My new classroom doesn't have sinks. Wahhh!!!
    • I don't know who built our school but we need to have a chat. Three grades requires three science rooms. 
    • Plus side, I am teaching earth science again and I love earth science.
    • Minus side, I am super into engineering and it is much harder to integrate into the sixth grade curriculum.
    • Plus side: writing a new curriculum gives me the opportunity to try some new things (thinking about revamping how I do grading and assessment).
  • School is going to start soon and none of my nice pants fit. Yoga pants + nice shoes + nice shirt = work clothes....right?
  • Do I really want to heat lunch up in the communal microwave that is for the entire staff? Answer: nope. 
    • Follow up question: do mini crockpots really get the job done and can I hide it under my desk? 
  • Let's throw on top of all of that the constant fear of getting Covid. Yes I am vaccinated, but my students will not be. They are too young. And my son is not (also too young). And I can bring Covid home to him.
    • More sub-bullets.
    • My son only had a half year of kindergarten before everything went sideways. And he is an only child. How is he going to handle being back in school after being without other kids around for so long?
  • How are ALL the kids going to handle being back in school? What kind of social-emotional trauma are we going to be dealing with in the coming years as a result of the pandemic?
  • How long before schools close due to Covid cases?
  • How much longer is my ancient computer going to last?
  • And so on, and so on, and so on......
No wonder most nights I don't fall asleep until 2-3am.

Stay tuned to the blog to find out how it all turns out. This year is gonna be quite a thing.

PS - Shout out to all the administrators out there, especially mine, that have had to deal with all the craziness the pandemic has brought to schools. You are doing a great job with this completely unprecedented situation and I am eternally grateful for your support and caring kindness in these anxiety-ridden times.




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