Hi, friends!
I am finally out of quarantine and feeling so much better! The girls get to bust out of quarantine today and go back to school. They have mixed emotions about it. Elizabeth loved virtual school, but Emily not so much.
Today, I just wanted to share something on my mind.
I feel like I am living in some type of bubble. Like everything with life has been put on hold.
As a school teacher, I think I have a unique perspective on what COVID is doing to our world.
With having COVID myself and missing school, having my own kids being quarantined and doing virtual school, and having so many students out, I can tell y’all, this is NOT the way education is supposed to be!!!
Don’t get me wrong, I am so thankful for my job. I love being a teacher, but this is not what I signed up for when I dreamed about becoming a teacher. Students should NOT be learning from a video or zoom call. They NEED school. They NEED face to face instruction. They NEED immediate feedback on how they are doing on their school work. They NEED their peers.
You might disagree with me and believe me, I know that school is an easy place to spread this virus. I am certain that’s where I probably picked it up at.
But this contact tracing and making kids that are perfectly healthy stay home for 14 days is WRONG. If students get the virus, yes, stay home. But just because Cali sits next to Sawyer in math class and Sawyer gets sick, don’t make Cali suffer and go home if she feels well.
I am so thankful our school is doing face to face instruction. We are so fortunate that we have been able to. But even with that, what COVID has done to our school year is breaking my heart.
I fear that our education system is going to be completely ruined if things don’t change.
Kids are not retaining information learning at home. Kids don’t have the resources or help at home like they would if they were at school.
We are going to see huge repercussions from this virus for many years if we don’t get back to living normal life. Not just with schools, but with everything I’m afraid.
Will we ever get back to normal life??
Lord, please help our country. Help us find a better way to mange this COVID. Yes, I know it’s a real virus. Yes, I know it can be deadly. But Lord, healthy kids need to be in school and receive instruction in class from a teacher every day. Not from a Zoom call or video. Please help those that are hurting. Please help me find joy in teaching every day, whether the students are in class or stuck at home. Please help me be a light to all my students and help us overcome this tough year together.
Hope you all have a great Monday. Please pray for all the teachers and if you haven’t in a while, thank a teacher for everything they are doing this school year.
Yes, I am still blessed. Yes, I am grateful for my job, when I know so many are suffering to make ends meet. But my heart is so heavy with seeing how schools are being affected by this virus. Thanks for letting me vent today.
I agree with you 100%! Thankfully our school has only had 3 isolated cases but even so my son has only been in the building 4 days this month and that was all for his culinary shop. In fact we looked at his schedule and with the way the holidays fall this year he won’t be in the building for in person academics until after the new year! It’s crazy. I am thankful the teachers have been great at putting together some really amazing virtual learning projects and games and activities but it’s weird that it’s nearly Thanksgiving and he still, at most, only knows a handful of students from his classes. We just see names on a computer screen… many of them he’s never met since they are in the other part of the alphabet and they attend different days! I have never been more thankful that he is such an independent learner and is really do fairly well adjusting but it is the weirdest introduction to public schooling.
My oldest is an independent learner, but not my youngest. It was a nightmare! LOL
Oh, Jen, this was so well said and I agree with it all. Things are so messed up right now. Kids aren’t getting their best education last year and now this year again. Teachers can’t do their jobs. I wonder too if things will go back to “normal.” Praying for you all!
Thank you!
Things are difficult and I don’t know when they will be normal again, although people are hopeful about the vaccine! I trust my boys’ school and I’m glad they are able to do virtual learning when there is a chance of an outbreak – our numbers here are super high right now! I wouldn’t want our teachers getting sick!
I don’t want our teachers getting sick at all! But something has to give with this virus. I just hate the whole situation.
I agree with your thoughts. I have wondered many times how much these children are losing. Praying for all teachers, students and schools.
Thank you!
Completely agree with you. I am so grateful that we have the option for in-person school in our district. Happy Thanksgiving.