Jen

1st Friday. Teaching in Covidlandia

The Good:

  • The kids feel like they could log on to Google Classroom and do their work from home if we had to do distance learning.
  • We tried two new apps today through Google Classroom and it worked out great!
  • I’m getting many more steps in per day, which is great for my health.
  • My trusty vest has become like a teaching comfort blankie. It may be my new uniform.
  • I wore my MLK t-shirt today. I’m making Friday my “justice tee” day. I have a collection. I can’t wear my “The First Pride was a RIOT” because I think it’s a bit too aggressive. But. Maybe I need a rainbow tee.
  • My most politically outspoken student and I have started to bond about the world and this student is going to grab my heart like they all always do.
  • I was brave enough to shut the politics down today. I said something along these lines: We will NOT be talking about politics in this classroom. We’ve now had the DNC and the RNC. We know our candidates for POTUS and VPOTUS on both major parties, (I actually said all their names) and we’re just NOT going to have those conversations in this class. Those conversations are too polarizing (I modeled being stuck in one spot) and people don’t feel safe in those conversations. Your parents DO want to talk to you about politics, save those conversations for home.
  • At the exact moment that I was having this diatribe about politics my principal was at the door with the PE sub…and it was a funny moment.

The Hard:

  • One of my littles has some organization issues and was having issue 9,453 of the day and I kinda snapped and put their thing away all fast, shoving it, and well…being really rude. They said “well, that was really rude,” out loud. I felt that tingly gross sensation inside the moment I did it, and took a deep breath. “You’re right,” I told them. “That was inappropriate, and I am sorry that I behaved that way. I should have given you more time, or explained that I was feeling frustrated with my words.” Later in our Social-Emotional lesson it was a perfect example for perspective taking, and we got to process it again. We both decided we were over it. WOW teachable moment. WOW and YES to humility.
  • I had to pee badly for the 90 minutes before lunch break. I have lost all my previous bathroom stamina.
  • My legs and feet are swelling up every day. On top of this I have a healing broken toe. I need to get compression stockings/socks, but somehow I have this very stigmatized idea in my head that those are for “old people” and I shouldn’t need them. Um. My feet and legs are swelling simply because I’m standing up. Yeah. I need some help. (It does actually feel uncomfortable, and once I”m home and raise my feet up, the swelling goes down.)
  • I have a basket of clean clothes to fold that has been in said basket for a week. I have not put my clean slipcovers on my couch and they have been clean in the dryer since last weekend. It’s usually white and slipcovered. My dishwasher has a full load of clean dishes inside and I can’t handle putting them away. I have NO PATIENCE for any house maintenance or chores. I cannot imagine having to go home to my own children right now. I feel for all of you that do, truly, and send you…I don’t know. I just send you thoughts. Thank you sweet baby Jesus for making my babies grow up before the time of Covid. I would not have survived. I would have had a breakdown. And I’m not saying this in jest. I would have not had the skills or situation to be able to handle this and things would not have gone well. I know I would have sent my kids to school (unless their dad could work from home) and I would have been teaching…and it would have been such a cluster. #countyourblessings
  • My early July brain thought that waking up early to go get my tits smashed in a mammogram the Saturday after the LONGEST WEEK EVER would be reasonable. So that’s what’s on the docket for tomorrow.
  • One week teaching in Covid=one month teaching in non-Covid.
  • I really miss church. This should be obvious due to all the Jesus references in my post. I especially miss sermons. They fill me up so huge. I miss the community and I miss my pastor and I miss my church-going Methodists. We’re touchy feely potluck-loving, fellowship-loving people. Social distancing is hard for our tribe.
  • I haven’t seen my sweetie in a week, but we’re still checking in and calling and…that’s kinda adorable, too. I really really miss him, and the routine we’d developed. It’s hard not to have him to talk to in person, and I know this isn’t forever. But I miss his face.

The Reflection:

  • Of all the things we are giving up and/or learning to live without now, the thing that is really the hardest for all of us and is the thing we will fight to get back–is time with other humans. All the worry about the digital world taking away human:human contact is basically being proven to not be true IMHO. We need other humans. We need socialization. No matter if we are more introverted or more extroverted or somewhere in the middle, living a life with some humans around turns out to be a BIG DEAL. I am happy about this news.
  • Thank you sweet baby Jesus for keeping me alive so far. If you could keep the Covid away for me for a few more months, I’d sure appreciate it. And then a few more months after that. And then I get the vaccine and then never get it. #thanksinadvancejesus
  • Send prayers out. Just send them out…say to your version of god/the Universe/higher power, etc: “send love and healing and hope to those that need it,” because basically, honey. Everyone needs it.

NAMASTE.

OH MY LORD.

NAMASTE.

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