Back to School for a Second Time

First day back to school for students in Kindergarten and grade 1 only. Lots of teachers wearing masks. We all “dance” around each other when passing in the hallway. Spent most of the day at the computer trying to make sense of the new schedule. Lots of toilet breaks and staggered recess have been added to accommodate for the extra hand washing and social distancing.

I am also sending the Trousse du MELS (activity suggestions for autonomous work) to the children who chose to stay home. Got nice some “Thank You emails” from a parents and students straight away.

“Je tenais à souligner à quel point vos messages me font chaud au coeur. La nature de vos propos me réconforte grandement. Pour ma part, vous avez su tenir un discours très personnel accentué autant sur le bien-être que les expériences de scolarisation.

Merci pour votre travail exemplaire! C’est le seul courriel que je lisais à mon garçon à toutes les semaines.“

Also worked on my website Miss Amy’s Classroom with the Padlet application. I would feel much happier teaching from home and perfecting my online abilities. But, here in the Gatineau region, the total number of Coronavirus cases are relatively low so we are slowly opening or “deconfining.” At school, each adult has their own interpretation of the rules and how much to stick to them. This makes me anxious. I’m so afraid of messing up. I feel like I am constantly being judged. Internal criticism strong.

Feel sad for kids who can’t see my face, miss their friends, can’t get a hug, can’t play like before.

Had a nice chat with my friend K. She reminded me to keep a positive attitude. Right now, it’s less about what activities I do but more important is my attitude. I plan to go in with a smile. Bring laughter, joy, song, model calm meditation, opportunities for introspection. Make learning English fun and meaningful.

Fell asleep at 8pm. Exhausted from the first full day with students. So many new rules. So many different schedules and places to be all at once. Read The Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed to a class of just 4 grade one students. We had a good laugh. I remembered the Miss Amy teacher who loves to perform. Although it was a simple book and a simple activity the students were engaged and participated. Advantage of having very small groups (Max was 7 students today.)

I’m going to have to slow down before I burn myself out though. Felt like a zombie with my own kids this evening.

Found out my tiny office with no windows (which was ludicrous to begin with) is the assigned place to confine a students suspected of Covid. Where do I leave my stuff?

Full day for older grades, Cycle 3, students. Some teachers on edge and military style approach to the rules scared even myself. The rules must be showed, modeled, explained in clear, simple and reassuring tones. Tip from mum, “it’s ok if you made a mistake. Think about it and be careful next time. Try your best to obey the new rules.” I told the children to imagine you are in a bubble that no one can enter… in order to protect themselves and others.

Learning must be meaningful. I took the time to ask each student how they were feeling and name one activity they did during The Quarantine. Smaller classes mean individual attention and more opportunities for oral interaction in English. We had good discussions. These reflections might just become keepsakes in the futur.

Bath soak then bed 10pm.

Full am day of teaching in class. Came home for lunch. Exhausted. Can’t think straight. Hard to be present for my own kids. Got an email telling us there was a suspected case of Covid in one of the staff at the school I was at today! Thankfully, I did not have both schools in the same day (L took over that period.) Stress builds up and it is hard for me to calm myself down or think straight. Read 5 little monkeys book to three different groups. There were 5 kids in the class, we acted it out: they were the monkeys I was the mama. One even sang sweetly to me. Be in the moment. How can I slow down my pounding heart?

Woke up less stressed. Heartbeat back to normal. Some sense of routine in going back to work. Small classes means more discussion and oral interaction. We’ll see how long the motivation of the older groups lasts. Are they in school to work or see their friends; albeit at a distance?

I don’t have much spare time or energy to create super fancy lessons. It’s not clear what (or how much) I have to send to those who are at home. ESL is considered an essential subject but I can’t do it all.

For the School Board I am just a number, a break giver, a space filler. I’m proud of my good rapport with the students. But find my position frustrating. Lack of respect for what I do.

Finished at noon. A ball of nerves. Drained.

Did groceries on the way home. Still a big effort to brave the grocery store. Wear a mask. Keep my distance.

Spent the afternoon baking cookies with the kids. It’s what I’m most proud of at the end of the day.

Spent a couple hours planning lessons during the weekend to send home to the kids who are not in school. Wonder how many actually read the emails or visit the website? One has to be self motivated to complete the work “just because.”

I’m convinced lots of learning is still going on in most homes; to name a few:

Basically, this past week in class, I read 5 little monkeys to Cycle 1. We danced, sang and repeated vocabulary. And in Cycle 3 we talked about feelings and activities we did during stay-at-home Quarantine. Simple meaningful oral interactions in ESL and I made significant connections with each of the students who were present.

Need to stop comparing myself to my peers. Need to stop worrying that I should do more. Also must take care of myself. And my family. Mental health. Physical health. It’s hard to set myself limits.

I wonder a lot about what is true learning.

So many things fall under the umbrella that is education.