Spring 2021 Reflection
My dogs look how I felt at the end of the school year.
One of the major reasons I started my blog was to help other teachers. I have received so much help from other teachers that I wanted to give back. The internet allows me to have a wider audience than I could possibly have at any school building I work at. I also feel too many teachers are looking up to teachers who do not want to stay in the profession. I don’t believe teaching is for everyone, but I do feel those who want to stay should be given tools to stay. Reflecting is an important process for me to be a better teacher and have the correct work-life balance to want to remain a teacher. I hope this blog helps my fellow teachers reflect, but also help them consider what is important this upcoming next school year.
I started the school year in quarantine because I was waiting on my husband’s COVID test. I with millions of Americans watched the Insurrection in the capital and was glued to my TV. That began my journey to missing teaching high school. There were so many conversations I wanted to have with my students. However, voting seems so far away for a 13-year-old it is hard for them to understand the importance. (Yes, we did discuss it, but most of my students didn’t have a lot of questions.)
February began the craziness of testing, and I was getting the winter blues. Then the winter storm hit, and life got crazy. My main concern was no longer COVID, but if my students were in homes that had pipes burst. I was very blessed to work at a campus that made sure all students whether virtual or in-person were contacted by a counselor to make sure they were ok or provided them a list of services.
March was all about making it to Spring Break. After Spring Break, I was disappointed. I usually love the March to May part of the school year. All the routines are known, and it should be a breeze. However, because students could switch between in persona and virtual there was no consistency. I only had 15 students who were my students since August. This isn’t good for relationship building or building a classroom community. I’m an extremely tech-heavy teacher and no one else on my team was. This made it extremely difficult to teach when students came from other teachers because they lacked skills I had previously taught all my other students in January.
April is when I realized I never want to teach in person in middle school again. I would teach online middle school and had planned on doing it the next school year. However, there were many unexpected difficulties on my campus which included a change in principal that made me realize it was time to go back to high school. One of my major issues is most of my students read at a third-grade level. I am my best teacher self when I can work in a blended class model where students are able to do most of their assignments independently. This can’t happen unless students are typically at a fifth-grade reading level. I’m a big believer that social studies teachers should teach students reading comprehension skills. However, I am honest with my own abilities. I don’t have the patience to scaffold assignments or provide more direct instruction. Most of my career has been spent with students on a fifth grade or higher reading level. I am better equipped to deal with a senior in high school who reads at a fifth grade reading eleven than a seventh grader at a third-grade reading level. I honestly believe that many teachers wouldn’t quit teaching if they switched schools or grade levels. Even after the worst school year, I still want to be a teacher. I began looking for a new job.
May reminds me every year why I hate standardized testing. Why do so many students believe the school year is over when standardized testing is over? Learning happens without standardized testing. However, Texas is one of the few states that has taught in person since August. There was absolutely no reason to have standardized testing this school year Some students hadn’t stepped into a classroom since March 2020. There are no consequences for students who don’t attend school regularly. It didn't t matter whether they are in person or virtual. I understand we are in a pandemic. However, there are children with internet access who didn’t log into our learning management system all semester. School districts across the nation are having to deal with what to do with these students.
The state of Texas did not make May any better when mask mandates began to end. It was a nightmare trying to figure out if your district was going to try and not have masks in the classroom. My school had a COVID case every single week since October and it didn't stop with teachers having the ability to get the vaccine. Thankfully, my district chose to keep masks until the end of the school year. However, May was awful, and I knew it was time to secure a new job.
Once I secured a job, my stress was at an all-time low. Now it was time to pack up my classroom. It took me twelve trips to move into my classroom (if you are judging me, you probably aren’t a veteran teacher) and my goal was to take it down to 10. I began working from sections around the room because I didn’t want to upset too many students. My homeroom knew I wasn’t teaching in person next year, so they weren’t too surprised when things began disappearing. Every single Texas history item I had was given to a new teacher on my campus. I left books and materials in the classroom. I know it’s annoying going through another teacher’s stuff, but who can complain about being left copy paper and glue?
It took three trips of unloading in the garage for my husband to get me a storage unit. He always wanted to get rid of the Christmas boxes and this was his excuse. Thankfully, the storage unit was climate controlled so I don’t have to worry about anything melting in the Texas heat. Did all my stuff fit in the unit? Nope, but only my craft room is a hot mess. I’m really hoping my new campus will let me move into my classroom by late July.
What was my secret to lowering my number of trips? I already had all my high school material in my garage at home. I know in this digital age it is crazy to still have binders, but I need them. I have an extremely strict process on how students make up work and it requires me to have tons of alternative assignments. to demonstrate mastery. I can look in my binder and make a copy for that student easily. I also refuse to throw away manipulatives. However, if you need to cut down your classroom because you are moving, I recommend leaving the supplies behind. It is a lot easier to get donations for supplies than it is for classroom furniture or decorations. My one exception is pencils. That is a supply you can never have enough of!
The last day with the students came quickly. I was incredibly sad to not see my virtual students that week. Zooms weren’t required and they didn’t show up. I thought I had made great relationships with about 25 of my virtual students, but only three showed up at our last meeting. This was a common occurrence for virtual teachers in my school. I wish I could say I had a great last day with my in-person students, but that would be a lie. Two students argued the last ten minutes of class across the room while they waited to be dismissed. It was bittersweet saying goodbye to my students as they left for home on the bus. My school district required teachers to come the next week, so my school year was not quite done.
I am excited to begin my new journey. 2020-2021 school year will go down in my memory as an awful year. I grew a lot as a teacher, but it was completely emotionally and physically draining. I left school knowing I had to recharge and make summer 2021 one of relaxation.
What am I doing to make sure I am relaxing?
I am not doing anything school-related until July. I always read a professional development book to improve my skills as a teacher. This will wait until July. I’m not checking school email and not doing any school tasks until July.
I am creating easy tasks for myself each day. I love being productive, but my goal is just not to be busy. I’m totally fine with not finishing tasks and taking a nap daily.
I am focusing on my physical health. I’m going to doctor’s appointments and making sure I am exercising. (This is not a health and wellness blog and will never be. However, taking care of yourself is a major factor in staying in teaching.)
I am working on craft projects that I enjoy. I absolutely love scrapbooking and plan on doing it all summer. I have some circuit projects I want to complete.
I am focusing on what brings me joy. I love spending time with my dogs and family. I’m making sure to be intentional about spending time with them. I am inviting my vaccinated friends over to my house. I’m going to the pool. I am reading books.
I hope this reflection helps you decide what you are going to do next school year and this summer to bring yourself joy! Reflection is the first step in improving your teacher's life.
