Lucky to Do What I Do

Boy, do I feel lucky to have a job these days! I ALWAYS feel lucky to be a teacher. But to be one of the few people working in a time of 20 percent unemployment, with people all around me having to stay home in uncertainty, I feel doubly grateful. Maybe even more than that, because I feel less alone with all my staff meetings and wonderful co-workers who I connect with weekly, and the amazing students who are so glad to say “hi miss!” and “hope you are doing well” and “I miss you!” every now and again. My reading intervention classes are not in session during distance learning, because the method of instruction is too difficult to perform on an online platform. My school also wanted to cut the students schedule down to four classes to make the transition to online learning easier. Hopefully they will find their work more manageable this way. My role now is support for ELA. I hold office hours four times per week to answer questions and guide students in doing their English Language Arts assignments. I also participate, along  with the other two seventh grade English teachers, in a weekly discussion group for all seventh graders. Mainly I am so happy to see everybody and I find that no matter how slow I am moving at home, the moment those faces pop onto my screen I switch right into teacher mode and get to work! Having meaningful work to do during the quarantine is absolutely saving me from many, many pitfalls that so many people are experiencing. It is enabling me to be a strong support for my family and friends. It is a lifeline, as I know I am a lifeline for those students. We sink or swim together.