Heat and Exhaustion
Here is the summary of my past few weeks of teaching ESL in elementary school. This is the third installment of the diary notes I wrote at the end of each day.
Week 3
Day 11:
The students were less enthusiastic in class today. They don’t want to work. I ask myself why are they even in school? We brainstorm: What did you miss when school was closed and you were home? I try to see how and I can help.
It is physically and mentally draining. I fall asleep fully dressed at 8pm. I am exhausted after just one day with the students.
Silver linings:
- Stopped to admire the pink and red tulips on my bike ride to work this morning.
- Received an email from a parent and Kudos from the principal.
Bonjour miss Amy,
Je vais bien merci.
Vos photos sont magnifiques et que dire de votre site web: wow!
Demain, je vais faire de l’anglais et il va me faire plaisir de parcourir les travaux et autres que vous avez incorporés pour nous.
Vous êtes excellente en informatique!
Merci pour tout,
Day 12:
Have a migraine. It’s hard to focus. Small classes in grade 1 (only 4 students) but they are hard to motivate. Don’t really want to work. Feels like we are babysitting.
Had a picnic lunch at the Aylmer Marina, because of the 2m rule, we can no longer safely use the Staff Room.
We must relearn standard routines and procedures. Body feels tense all the time. I must clean and disinfect my workspace each time I change classroom (which is about 4-5 times a day.) I am constantly questioning if I should touch things or not (light switch, windows, mouse, keyboard, etc.)
Exhausted. Have very little juice left for my own family in the evenings. How long can this continue?
Day 13:
The last period of the day was with grade 6. I picked them up from recess outside. Sensed lots of tension between the boys and girls. Lots of eye rolling, name calling, even rock throwing between the two “gangs.” Told the group: “We can’t have an English class like this. Please take out a piece of paper and a pencil.”
Wrote on board: BREATHE.
Problem. Cause. Solution.
They all sat down and started to write. Could slowly feel the mood ease. Then I put on my Dr. Phil hat and gave a short speech about how being back at school with friends is fun but the new rules are also tough. It’s not easy to be a student in this new context. It’s not easy for me either to be a teacher. We have to relearn our habits. Change our procedures. But we are a small class of 13 students and need to take care of each other. The class listened eyes wide, taking it all in.
Good morning Miss Amy,
I have to say that I am impressed with the way you turned this Covid thing around. Amongst all the specialty teachers, you definitely stick out by the way you write to the students. You have a very personal way of reaching out to them and I love the activities that you are suggesting for them (not the MEES ones, the ones you add on top of it). I love the pictures you send and the super positive vibe that emerges from your emails.
Anyways, I just wanted to thank you for that extra effort you put in this crazy situation.
Week 4
Day 14:
Another week begins. We are expecting a heat wave but the school board prohibited the use of fans and AC in the classroom.
It feels strange to no longer have lunchtime with colleagues. We no longer have the opportunity to chat like before. Because of Covid we must avoid getting too close and avoid spending time together. Instead we get long information emails to read several times a week.
Wonder what to do for those at home in terms of numbers, it’s the majority. Most are probably gaming or watching T.V. in English. Shared my website with activity suggestions for those at home. If nothing, it’s a good visual summary of what I have done in each grade over the past few months.
Day 15:
Had fun reading Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus to grade 3/4. Then they drew their own pigeon and wrote a comic. Kids motivated. They participated in the oral interactions and focused on completing the task assigned. Pretty good for an hour of English class time. I got inspired and picked out an old handout for the story book I had read to my kids at bedtime. Task achieved despite me not preparing a complicated lesson plan.
Another heat warning for today. We were finally permitted to use fans in class. My final period of the day was with grade 5 after their outdoor recess. We continued class outside for 30 minutes. They played along and wrote their answers by using sticks in the sand. It’s started to sprinkle rain so we went back inside. Continued the same activity with pen and paper. It was hot and much harder for me to motivate them to work. We all got hot and lethargic pretty quickly.
Had a good chat with a teacher friend who lives in Mtl today. She had good advice: We must stop comparing ourselves. Each situation is unique. Therefore we should use our personal strengths and work together. Trust myself. Trust my competencies. I’ve got this. Do my best. It’s not a competition. It’s not a race. We are educating students. Leading them along the right path. They choose how to get there in the end. We each have our own level of influence.
Day 16:
Just. So. Hot. Had three grade one groups today. The classrooms are particularly small in size and the windows provide little ventilation in the best of times.
Heat wave again. It was 27C at 9am. In one classroom, only two of the four registered students showed up. Why am I teaching a class when I could be at home looking after my own children? Read There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly. They enjoyed the book and handout. It’s nice to interact and joke around with those who are present. Supervised 30 minute long recess outdoors- it was 33C without Humidex. We now remind students to stay 2m apart, to stay in the shade, don’t run, and drink lots of water. The freezies midway through class were a godsend!
Came home wiped out and lay on the couch. Read stories and attempt some imaginary play with my children. Thank goodness for cold showers and AC.
Day 17:
4 cups of applesauce
2 small tubs of coleslaw (the one that comes with a St Hubert meal)
A chocolate store made muffin
A water bottle
That was his snack and lunch today.
We chatted for 15 minutes about video games and then how his dad is sad and stays in his bedroom all day.
This is why I teach. I can listen and provide support. Bless his little heart.
Conclusion
This diary serves as a memory. My hope is that we will learn major lessons from this and redefine learning in order to pursue new ways of teaching. In ten years time, we will look back at the Class of 2020 who survived the Covid-19 pandemic. But the long term effects have not yet emerged. This was a summary of my personal teaching experience of the past 6 weeks. The rules and instructions are changing so fast that the classroom of last month looks very different to the one I teach in today. For now, school is out for summer and it’s holiday time. All teachers and educators should take the time to rest, recharge our batteries and be ready to confront what school will be next September.