Grieving the Loss of Normal

At midnight on July 1st, I officially relinquished the title of Co-President of our local Educational Association, after fourteen years. More than a year ago, I made it clear that there needed to be new representation for our union, and my co-president and I have spent significant time with the incoming presidents, providing advice and protocols we've used during our tenure.

Nothing we've said or experienced in the last fourteen years could prepare our replacements for the current educational environment and uncertainty of the fall. (And I am so very grateful to no longer be wearing those shoes!)

Teachers KNOW that the spring Virtual Learning Experience was significantly flawed. Most of us are spending the summer completely redesigning our courses as online content "in case" that is what the fall will bring, madly trying to figure out how to promote kindness, understanding, collaboration, public speaking skills, respect, mask etiquette, hand-washing instruction, wiping down surfaces, and monitoring of real vs. "I-don't-feel-good-as-soon-as-the-exam-is-passed-out" illnesses. Obviously every sniffle, cough, or verbal outburst will hold an underlying sense of concern for teachers. The fall is frightening, but the reality of the summer is even worse.

Please, I beg, please, give us a minute to grieve the loss of everything we know as normal.

Flying around Facebook this morning was a plea from Sera Deo, a 4th grade teacher from New York. Her words echo what is in the heart of every teacher right now. "Give us a minute." Sera begs, and I join her plea. (Along with encouraging you to read her entire post. Click on that hyperlink and read what she has to say -- she deserves your attention.)

Teachers haven't recovered from our "vacation at home in our yoga pants" last spring. (Someone actually had the audacity to ask me that in June.) March 13th -- okay, maybe even March 10th, was the last "normal" day of school for me, because the vibe in the school was the sort of anticipation that teachers and students feel when a blizzard is predicted. We knew, in our guts, we were going home, even before it was officially announced. And no, that online learning and teaching-in-yoga-pants wasn't anything close to a vacation for anyone - teachers least of all.

We are exhausted, we are scared, we are emotional. We usually use our summers to plan for the fall, and to recover from the previous year. We've been worried, confused, and scared for students since that time. Any teacher can name a student who is on their heart, at risk for food insecurities, domestic violence, depression, homelessness concerns, potential child abuse, or suicide. (But they won't NAME those kids, because they can't. They are protecting them under the confidentiality laws that exist.) We worry, because, as Sera says, "For every idea you have, we know a student and a family who needs something different. What works well in your house for your children is not necessarily the solution for all."

We know the needs of last year's students, and know in our hearts that the needs of the incoming classes will have some extra needs on their lists of concerns.

During April and May, the world was praising the efforts of teachers. Jimmy Fallon sang his praises. And now, appreciation for teachers has been replaced with demands for the need for childcare, for schools to open, and things to return to normal.

Guess what? NORMAL is a setting on the dryer. There is no Normal. Last night, our Board of Directors approved the Health and Safety Plan for reopening in the fall. All districts are required to do this, and it is up to parents to be informed. Please read the protocols put in place by your district. Discover what teachers are facing as "the new normal." I realized some seemingly very trivial things when reviewing ours: that the locked classroom doors to protect kids from gunmen will now be propped open to keep us all safe from the virus. The volunteers who help teachers in their classrooms will be few, as most are retired community members who now fall in high risk categories. All the "normal" stuff that happens in high schools - giggling in the bathroom, chatting in the hallways between classes, cramming 16 people at a six person table because the whole posse absolutely can't be split up at lunchtime, drinking from a water fountain, and countless other staples of "normal" won't be permitted. Realize that those who drafted these plans did the very best, with the limitations presented.

Give us a minute.

Did you do as I asked above and read Sera's commentary? ("If you didn't, shame on you -- it's required text for this lesson. Be fully informed before you engage in discussion. Understand the nuance of the author's words..." Sorry - I lapsed into teacher-mode.)

There has never been a time before when we weren't ready to make it ok.

We want to do what is right for our kids, and yours, because we consider them ours, too.

Give us a minute. Please.

Sincerely,

ALL EDUCATORS I KNOW — feeling emotional.😔”

We're trying to put on our game faces (and figure out how to express all of our feelings using only half of our faces, because, well, MASKS), and make things okay for ourselves and our students. We'll do our best, because we model what we want our students to do. But do the teachers a favor, and don't share your fears and concerns, and expect us to make you feel better. We need to save our energy for the students in our charge in the fall.

Give us a minute. Let us recharge.

As Sera stated, "There has never been a time before when we weren't ready to make it ok."

We'll do our best in the fall, but we need to sleep, breathe, and process all of this before we can answer questions or start laminating nametags for desks.

I'd like to shake Sera's hand sometime -- when it's safe. Maybe even give her something other than an "air hug" or "air high-five," both permitted by the current plan, (socially distant, of course.) She is a teacher with wisdom to share, and speaks eloquently for the need for time, space, and grace as we had into the 2020-2021 school year.

@SeraDeo