It’s not the way I wanted this school year to go by far.

• I didn’t want to be separated from my students by plastic wrap and PVC pipe.
• I didn’t want my students hiding their smiles behind a mask.
• I didn’t want to have my students repeat what they need because I can’t hear them behind a mask.
• I didn’t want to have our teacher’s lounge closed and not being able to converse and have lunch with each other.

With all of the efforts, we are making this year our schools in our district are still open. Even with more schools surrounding ours that are moving to online learning, we are still hanging in there. And that, my friends, is HUGE during this pandemic.

It is very easy to complain about all of the new restrictions and protocols we have to do now as teachers in our classrooms. Believe me, I have done my share of complaining.

It’s All About Perspective

This past week was a tough one for me. I had a full, emotional week teaching Digital Citizenship to my kiddos. I am very passionate about this subject and I let my students know that too. I teach the information that they need by using materials from netsmartz.org and sprinkle in my own experiences as well.

The 7th-grade group I have this time is a rough one. Many times during my lessons this week I had to stop, re-direct, and re-focus these students. They are a group that only cares about themselves and even tear each other down. I was exhausted just trying to teach them how to be kind to each other.

On top of that, I have other responsibilities added this year to keep our students and myself safe while in my classroom. One of which is repairing the holes my students put in my plastic barriers which are supposed to protect them. (It’s becoming ridiculous how often I have to do this.)

It was Friday and I was feeling quite discouraged and ready for our Thanksgiving break. It seemed as if the past week was lasting a month long.

I was coming back into the middle school building after teaching to my sweet 5th graders and dodging students ready for the extra-long Thanksgiving break (Thank you to our school board members and administration for the mental health days!!!).

I noticed one student (I couldn’t quite recognize because of the mask) frantically asking teachers and our principal, “Where is Mrs. Neilan? Where is Mrs. Neilan?” One of the teachers pointing in my direction said, “she is over there.”

Once he was getting closer to me I recognized this student. It was one of my buddies I had a special connection with.

Ever since he was a 5th grader we had a unique way of connecting with each other. It was a special fist bump with a BOOM! on the end of it. Every time we saw each other in the hallway or in my classroom we had to do the fist bump.

On that Friday at the end of the day when I felt defeated and exhausted from the previous week, my student found me and we had a final fist bump and BOOM! before we each headed home for the long break.

It was just what I needed to change my mood. It was the perspective I needed to tell myself that I am still connecting with my students. There are students who still care and love that I am a part of their lives.

It is easy to complain and get down on ourselves when we have had a tough day, week, month, or year. It is easy to criticize the situation we are dealt with. In those moments we have to recognize it and search for those little gems of hope each day. Those internal or personal cheerleaders in our lives that say, “I care about you. You got this!”

When we keep things in perspective the things that mean the most to us come into focus and the negativity fades away.

Hang in there everyone! We will all get through this! 🥰