Whew! We have week one out of the way! Good thing it was only four days. All in all, it went fairly well. I was excited to see my kiddos again (from a distance, sigh) and working with my colleagues. There was a learning curve with this new “normal” and having to adjust with masks, keeping students separated, and all of the cleanings.

One thing that surprised me was the reteaching I had to do this past week. It took me an entire class period to log students into one website (I had planned on covering eight other things that period). Some students couldn’t remember their passwords, others couldn’t type a correct email address to recover their password, and I had new students who have never logged in before. Keep in mind I am working with middle school students.

It got me reflecting on how our world makes things too easy for the little cherubs we bring into the world. Just ask your young son or daughter if they know your phone number, where they work, or their address. We live in a world where everything is done for us. Who needs to remember our friend’s phone number when we can click on their photo? There is no looking in a phone book, TV guide, or using a map anymore. All of the information we need is a click away. Heck, even if you asked me what any of my sons’ phone numbers were, I couldn’t tell you. 😜

Another thing I wasn’t prepared for was my obsessive-compulsive Type A personality kicked in in full force this past week. It seemed as if I couldn’t stay organized or get ahead at all. Ready to do my introduction Kahoot game – no Internet. Have my rosters printed and ready for my emergency packet and sub – new kiddos are added to my class. My elective course my students chose and were excited to be there – they don’t have the app on their laptops. Two days into our first week I had to repair the plastic protecting students from each other. Every time I turned, I had to pivot and make an audible right in front of my students. This is something my Type A mind doesn’t appreciate AT ALL.

That is the thing about teachers, whatever you throw at them, they will take it, transform it, and turn it into something new right in front of your eyes. We are magicians. Even though I may not have enjoyed all of the chaos the first week brought, it has challenged me. I haven’t been challenged like this since we ended last year with online learning. I am grateful I have a job to go to that I love. It is where I am supposed to be right now. And I LOVE it!!!

We’ll see how next week goes…….

How have you been challenged recently? Has it helped or hurt you? Please comment below and tell me your thoughts.