Steadfast Scrat

“I’m not coping very well” a teacher said to me this past Tuesday. I looked back at her, holding my container of cookies and bag of chocolate and said “clearly I’m not either.” Those cookies and that chocolate got me through this week. It was a lot for everyone, a LOT. Washing hands, wiping things down, teaching at home kids on the computer and in person kids in front of you, wiping things down, QR codes for sign ins, room fogging, eyeglasses fogging, and how and when to eat your food (I chose alone in a book room). My poor little brain was on overdrive and I found that my executive functioning skills need a little sharpening.

Despite having all the ingredients for an epic mess, our hybrid learning happened without much incident. Day 2 went better than day 1 and I no longer felt like crying, day 3 better than day 2, and day 4 I had to stay home and face again the realization that my biological children DO NOT want me to be their teacher. They just don’t want to hear my teacher voice. Oh well. Bring on the vaccine, Pfizer. We’ll drink that Kool-Aid and happily. Do multigenerational households get first dibs? Just wondering.

So, yes, teaching and learning during this pandemic has not been ideal and I, personally, need cookies and chocolate to cope. Through all my self-focus and care, I forgot just how big of a deal this week was for my students. They showed up, masks on, and made their way through what must have been the weirdest day of their educational careers. Whether they are learning remotely or choosing to come in person, these students have accepted the changes thrust upon them this year far more gracefully than I would have back in the day. I was so very awkward all throughout high school (still am) and I cannot imagine dealing with what these kids have already dealt with at their age. We really don’t give them enough credit. Well done, students, well done. This teacher (and Mom) is so very proud. 

I am no Mary Sunshine and I will never deign to make the execrable more toothsome. This year SUCKS and however you’re getting through it is standing ovation material in my book. As a teacher, this is not my most stellar year. I can guarantee that. BUT, I have learned A LOT and have completely revamped what I emphasize as important to learn in my classes. That’s huge and was a much needed shift for me. So, I guess you could say that I’m the love child of Mary Sunshine and Debbie Downer. I cling to whatever good I can, kind of like that squirrel (Scrat) holds on to the acorn in Ice Age. We’ll call that Steadfast Scrat I guess. Then I watch videos of Kate McKinnon playing Rudy Giuliani on SNL and find a reason to laugh. So, if you’re going through a total suckfest right now, my unsolicited advice is to pop open a can or container of whatever celebratory substance you have handy (cookies, chocolate, frosting, beer….) and just let the suckiness wash over you. Then find a video on the best of Kate McKinnon and you won’t be sorry. In fact, let me do that for you. You’re awesome, you should know that, you deserve whatever it is your eating/drinking right now and, most importantly, you deserve this laugh. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Grateful for your readership, always.