And yet, here I am - a teacher in 2020. Because of COVID-19, it feels as though our lives are nothing but change. This week, my mom and I went to my classroom to figure out how to set everything up with spaced desks and traffic flow that doesn't jam and where my streaming technology should sit so those who are joining us from home will have the best experience. She would ask crazy questions like, "Where does this go?" and my answer was, "I don't know yet." The closer we get to the opening of school, the more on edge my nerves are. I'm not scared of the virus itself. For whatever reason, that's never been the kind of thing I fear because that's a risk management issue. What's making me edgy is the amount of change. I was talking to someone yesterday about all of this, and I said, "It's like my 21 years of experience are irrelevant this year." Now, I know in my head that's not true, but it is the way it feels.
One of the things I did while setting up last week was to hang photos of my physics teacher and my physical science teacher (the two subjects I teach) behind my desk. These two men were phenomenal teachers, and having them behind me, looking over my shoulder, has always been a source of encouragement. As I hung their photos this year, it was a reminder that there were some things that were not changing. What I learned from these two men still matters.
School starts in two weeks, and I am going to spend them focused on the things that won't change. I obviously will have to implement changes and learn about new policies and procedures and plan for how to check in on my at-home students, but my emotional energy will be spent on the things that won't change. Here's the start of the list.
God is faithful and trustworthy
Since the beginning of the stay at home orders in March, I have sent about 200 cards, mostly to students. In them, I have written the sentence "God is faithful and trustworthy." Whether or not we understand our circumstances, we know we can trust Him. When it feels like everything is changing, we know He is faithful. That will not change.
Teachers will be there for their students
While the savior mentality some teachers have is toxic, the truth is that students need their teachers to be there for them, to listen to them, to understand them, to know them, value them, and love them. Whether a student is suffering from normal social angst or the fear of a virus, the need is the same. If you were equipped before, you are equipped now.
Grace will be needed
Grace is important in every classroom. It always has been. In a room filled with human beings, there are going to be human foibles, mistakes, and sins. Occasions will arise that will require repentance, apologies, and forgiveness. As we sit in classrooms with a heightened level of anxiety, that is going to increase, but it is not new.
I know how to teach science.
When we first went into the virtual learning environment, I kept reminding my colleagues that we know how to teach. The logistics are different. We have to figure out the tech. There are some things we do not yet know how to do, but we haven't forgotten how to teach. I still know how to explain science in a way middle school students can understand. If you teach English, you know how to teach your students to write. If you teach math, you still know how to break down mathematical thinking into steps. Whether it is virtual or in-person, synchronous or asynchronous, collaborative or distanced, you know how to teach. Your methods will change, but you still know how to teach.
By focusing our emotional energy on those things that are not changing, we can establish an emotional equivalent of your body's buffers that maintain homeostasis. I'd love to add to this list. What's staying constant in your world?
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