Pen-demic

  With two and one half days left in the school year, inquiring minds have asked how doing school virtually for a year   really   was. From a parent's perspective, this is what I can tell you: Four hundred forty. The number of days my family has been together, the four of us, working & learning under the same roof.  One thousand three hundred twenty. The number of meals that have been prepared and served. Hot breakfasts. Hot lunches. Planned dinners for the week.  Five hundred forty two. The number of times Zoom was used for virtual school in our home. The soundtrack of our home came from the doorbell ding-dong each time a student was let into a class meeting. "You're muted," was the chorus. I know my girls' teachers & classmates by voice, but probably wouldn't know if I passed them in Target or the grocery store. Zero. The number school days missed. I never thought my kids would have a year of perfect attendance!  Undetermined. The number of times ...

  Sarah Burgess Tomorrow I turn 45. This year I have spent more time in my closet than a classroom. I have given up on pants with zippers and buttons and now favor elastic waistbands almost exclusively- jeans included. Comfort over style every day. I’ve played more games with my family this past year than I have in the entire 16 years prior. We’re a game family now. I am learning to sit with imperfection and failure and discomfort rather than trying to “fix” things. Sometimes the healthiest thing to do is embrace the inevitable grief of life. There is peace in that. My rogue, white chin hair and elastic waistbands remind me that the last time I was relevant, Clinton was President, but I will still “throw it back” in a room full of teenagers if it makes them laugh (at me, not with me- I get it). When Dave asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I couldn’t think of a single thing. Not one. This year, for maybe the first time in my life, I really feel like everything I need I already ...

Several months ago, our daughter asked me to read a book to her children using YouTube.    Since I haven’t spent much time with them this past year, nor can I visit them in their new home, I agreed to give it a try. First, I needed to buy a tripod for my phone with a halo light—plenty available on Amazon at a reasonable cost.    We also agreed on a book— Number the Stars by Lois Lowry—not terribly long, and it was one I had previously read.     I felt like this was a good fit for me since I had also been a secondary reading teacher. Because my “audience” was grandchildren ages 13-5, I had to explain vocabulary from time to time.    Then, I got the idea to teach them “think-alouds”.    That’s reading a story out loud but also saying the thoughts that run through a person’s head while reading:    making comparisons, asking questions, predicting,    commenting.    Every now and then, I inserted family stories...

For whoever out there needs to see this tonight... especially my educator friends. I will teach your children… I will wear a mask And while I can’t hug them when they cry Or high five them when they succeed, I will reach them My eyes will show concern or sparkle My voice will soothe or uplift I will teach your children I will keep my distance But they will know that I care. I send them notes… electronically And “the teacher look” will be one of understanding. A gesture A look A signal will mean more than it ever has I will teach your children I will design opportunities for them to “talk” with their classmates n break-out rooms on Zoom in-person with a mask on from 3 or 6 feet They will share how they feel What they’re reading What they’re writing What they’re thinking I will teach your children I will maneuver through the changes that are bound to come I will help them know how to deal with the unknown I know they are flexible, much more so than I They roll with t...

We ended our school year with a masked faculty member bringing a black plastic trash bag filled with my fourth grader's belongings out to our car and putting it in the trunk. After a few days I finally worked up the nerve to open the trash bag and found all the sparkly, glittery pink notebooks and folders my daughter had picked out at the beginning of the school year, when she was so full of hope and excitement for school. I sat in the trunk and cried. No matter what we do,  the coming school year isn't going to look like the ones before it. It's not going to be crowded cafeterias with friends talking about their day, or kids guessing the number of Hershey's kisses in a jar at class parties. Whatever normalcy we're longing for our kids to have this year, they're not going to get it, no matter what path is chosen for us, nor what path we choose. Since my kids are in a high-risk category due to my son's asthma and their dad's heart problems, I...

Suddenly we were gone from their presence Poof  An avatar on a screen A voice-over on a slide show A tone-less comment on a document But they were still with us In our hearts And when we meet again...if we meet again Masked Eyes only Hidden smiles Hugs forbidden But they will be with us In our hearts There are no good choices now None Virtual...who will help them? Part-time...who will be with them? All together...who will die? But... Hearts Raquel Babb, teacher July 2020 Photo by  Trent Erwin  on  Unsplash