Teacher Testimonies II

This year has taught me a lot about myself, and has deepened my understanding of what matters in teaching and in life. At a time when so many are struggling physically, emotionally, financially, I know I am lucky to have meaningful work, health, and a happy family.

Spring was incredibly tough; many juniors just dropped off my radar, which felt weird, but I also teach a CCP course to seniors who did not get a grade break (it’s college!). Motivation was lacking and I spent a lot of time prodding them. Working online is exhausting and unnatural; my body hurt all the time -- and I didn’t know then it was just the start of a long haul.

Starting last August, students and I benefited from a tech-savvy, energetic, and SMART student teaching intern, Alayna Cowden. She and I worked so well together, I found remote school pretty fun! I tried to be a good role model for her in terms of setting boundaries with work: in a remote environment, the lines can be easily blurred between the school day and our home lives, so I made it a goal for us to cut work off by 4 or 4:30 and go home to recharge.

The pandemic has helped me relearn that having energy and positivity for students in the moment is far more valuable than overworking. (I really used to believe that the harder I worked, the more students learned! UNTRUE.) This term I am experimenting with grade contracts: students in English III make a grade goal, and I conference with them regularly to look at their classwork holistically. I’m hoping this helps students feel more ownership and engagement with the material; a huge challenge of remote learning has been trying to stay ahead of the grading stream while having the energy to make learning engaging. I know students feel this, too.

I believe the District will continue to evaluate what’s best for kids as we come out of the pandemic. It seems we’ve all benefited from the flexible Wednesday Office Hours, so in the new school year we ought to consider maintaining a 4-day in-person week. High schoolers need rest and the chance to work independently, and Wednesdays can provide some of that.

Having students back F2F is energizing but also draining. It’s maddening to chat a student on the Zoom, or call on them, and get no response, but I have to let it go; I don’t know what life is like on their end. Most students have been really lovely to work with and appreciate school.

I’ve never been more grateful for my job. COVID-19 has reminded me what matters: making a positive contribution to my community.

Before quarantine, I had an immensely strict schedule. I would wake up around 6:00 A.M., go down stairs by 6:10, eat breakfast at 6:20, and get ready for school at 6:30. I would be done by 7:00, and I would leave for school. After school, I would have about two hours to do homework, and would go straight to swim practice at 4:30. Swim practice would end every night around 7:30. I would then get home, put my swim gear away, take a shower at around 8:30, get ready for bed, and eat dinner at 9:00. Finally, I would get the remainder of my homework done, and go to sleep at 10:00-11:00. This was with free time mixed in. However, when everything shut down in quarantine, I didn’t have school or swimming. The two activities that had been completely consuming my life just vanished from my schedule. I didn’t know what to do with myself, so I didn’t really do anything for a while.

After I came to terms with the fact that the world was going to be shut down for a while, I decided to make the most of my time. I started to try new things that I wouldn’t normally have any time for. I tried new activities like baking and puzzles. I started new shows that I had been meaning to watch for months. I also started listening to more true crime and horror podcasts, and I found a few that I really enjoy; I play them all the time when I have an afternoon to myself.

Quarantine has been quite different from what I was used to; it has given me the opportunity and time to participate in activities that I couldn’t in before. Quarantine has completely changed my schedule, maybe for the better.