Small Joys of 2021

Hi all; it's been a while.

I haven't posted anything in a bit, for a few reasons. For one, I've been trying to put a concerted effort into bringing back some of the old things I used to do in class before the pandemic went and changed everything. Mixed results there, but I'm happy about the growth. Definitely a work in progress, but anything worth doing is.

Secondly, I've been batting around the idea for this post for some time now; I wanted to wait until I felt confident with what I wanted to say before I tried saying it. Not totally sure we're there yet (as you'll later see, I ramble a bit in parts), but it's time to give it a shot.

To start: a disclaimer. This is not going to be a "silver linings" post that attempts to minimize the devastation wrought by this pandemic. I, like everyone else I know, wish it had a) never, ever happened and b) that it would be over right now. From the incalculable cost of human lives lost to the uncharted impact on mental health to the growing uncertainty everyone around the world is expected to deal with every day...

There's a reason I have labeled these joys as "small." Because they are joyous, undoubtedly, but that doesn't undo the constant stress and fear everyone is under. I know that this of course seems very obvious, but I think that, by failing to mention the context of this post, it could potentially come off as less empathetic than I mean it to. Because I do want to acknowledge how fortunate I've been in this situation, but insisting that these things that have helped me cope somehow balance out the scales just isn't true. Essentially, it's fine (and expected) to not be totally fine, and I'm not trying to say we should just "look on the bright side" our way out of an unprecedentedly catastrophic global pandemic.

With that being said, here are a few small joys that have sprung up in 2020 and 2021. Some are small steps back towards normal and some have been ongoing support structures that I am forever grateful for.

1. Getting to see more students regularly and in person

For this one, I know I'm relatively fortunate. I work in a district where we have been able to safely offer hybrid learning to students since September. Recently, as in yesterday, we were also able to start inviting some students back for 5 days a week in school. Not all students are yet able to start coming back full time; this is just the first step in a long process that will likely take months. Additionally, we are still operating on with a shortened school day, and Mother Nature seems to want to keep us home as much as possible (what with all the snow!).

Another disclaimer: I'm very lucky to work in a district where we are able to safely pull off in person learning. I know not every district is working with our case numbers and I think schools attempting to reopen without a solid plan risk the safety of their staff and students, which will ultimately be counterproductive and harmful. I am hoping, as time goes on, cases wane, and vaccines are made more readily available, that more schools will be able to safely bring students back into class.

I also want to clarify that there is still, of course, a level of physical stress that comes from teaching during a pandemic, even if you are able to take all the recommended safety precautions. It can be draining to carry that level of worry along each day and it hits everyone involved to a different degree depending on underlying risk and personal factors. I'm grateful to be able to see my students in person, but I won't pretend that this year hasn't been one of the most daunting and taxing times of my life.

Sorry to keep talking in circles like this: I know a lot of folks have very strong opinions about open vs. closed and whatnot. I'm not trying to walk the middle of the road; I'm just trying to give my human perspective on it without being too openly critical on either side's specific viewpoint, which I think is a valuable perspective to add to the conversation.

In short, this is not a post to comment on the nuance of what each individual district should do. This is just about sharing the small joys in my life in the hopes that they make someone, somewhere feel a little bit better during this chaos.

Tangent aside, back on topic. Getting to see more of my students yesterday is actually one of the main reasons I chose to compose this post today. I could tell that so many of my kids were just so happy to see their classmates. It was like the room had been holding its breath, and that we could all finally collectively exhale just a little bit with this first, small step back towards normal.

Long road ahead, but my students could tell that it meant we were starting to move in the right direction.

2. Mask breaks

Obviously, we're not in the same zip code as "normal" yet if I'm still writing about mask breaks. Each day in class, since each of my classes are around 70 minutes, we take a mask break about halfway through to allow students to refocus. During this time (and while properly socially distanced), I get to have some wonderfully off-topic conversations with my students.

You know the kind: chats you want to have, but don't fit into forwarding your ELA lesson that's already been bumped three times because of the snow (there's so much snow in NJ right now; it's insane). During mask break, which is literally a break, we get the chance to have these chats and I get the chance to get to know my students better (which is another challenge thrown down by the pandemic). It's not perfect: we're still working with ways to connect more with students who are fully virtual (shout out to the teachers who made the half-hour hangouts possible), but it's just a nice part of the day.

To me, and others, I'm sure, school during the pandemic isn't just about academics and related arts. School provides a little blip of normalcy in a world that, almost a year ago now, was radically different before we all started dealing with this virus. It's always provided a social element alongside the academic (which is also infinitely more challenging when dealing with a contagious illness), but now more than ever it seems that the routine of school provides a stabilizer for students in day-to-day life.

3. Staff Support Bubble

Last, but certainly not least, another small joy that makes me smile every day is our school's staff support bubble. Like I said in the last section, we've been going through this now for almost a year (at least here in the part of the states where I live). A year ago this time was the last time I was in NYC, the last time I saw a live play, the last time I saw a movie in theaters or hung out with coworkers after school.

Just something as simple as seeing family has been relegated to FaceTime and online game nights. So, being able to see coworkers live and in person at school, knowing there're people you don't have to look at through a screen, getting to laugh and joke with folks who're going through it the same as you?

It's really a precious resource.

I hope that you've gotten something out of reading this if you've made it this far. I feel better having written it (though I'm hoping my intent crossed over into actions okay).

If I can leave you with one last sentiment, it's this. Approach people with humanity and be aware of where you're directing your anger. Believe me, I have my own criticisms for the highest levels in the land about how certain methodologies have been rolled out in regards to this pandemic. And those are valid; I'm not trying to silence criticisms or bury them under a "we're doing all we can" label. But so many people are making the best out of what they've got and working within the limits of what they can do.

Stay safe and healthy everyone.