Welp, I said in the O is for Obligations #AtoZChallenge post that teaching would get its own letter and here we are.
I am very grateful for my job. And not just because I’m still collecting a paycheck, which is definitely a part of it. No, I am grateful for my job because it gives me focus and purpose and helps to shape my days, much like I said about the obligations in that O post.
I am, thankfully, experienced with online teaching and recently completed another round of training in distance education. That made the transition to emergency remote instruction just a little bit smoother for me.
But, of course, it’s more than that.
I love teaching. I love lesson planning and problem solving and engaging students. I love complaining about grading and since teaching online requires grading, I still get to complain about grading. I also get to procrastinate about grading and then complain about procrastinating about grading, which is also a favorite pastime of mine.
So, you see, the continuation of teaching adds so much more normalcy to my day. I get up every day with specific tasks to finish (or procrastinate on finishing). For example, tomorrow is Sunday so I get to draft my weekly tasks letters to my students.
There’s even more than that. I also get to help keep my students engaged in a way that, I hope, helps add some normalcy and focus to their days. When we first moved to emergency remote instruction, a lot of people were saying that school may be asking too much of our students, but I knew that wasn’t true. And I knew it wasn’t true because one of the things I most remember from reading The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank is that Anne, her sister, and Peter took correspondence courses while their families were in hiding during World War II.
This is what I said in my review of the book:
I love that Anne plans for the future…That she and her sister focus on education, so that when the war is over, they can pick up where they left off, go back to school, and become productive members of society. I love that Anne longs for school, not only for the book learning but because she realizes it provides a much needed break from her family.
I am here for educating my students and giving them a space to think about and plan for their future, but I have to say that providing my students a much needed break from their families especially speaks to my soul.
For this year’s A to Z Challenge, I have decided that I’m going to focus on my survival/coping strategies while practicing social distancing. What are the things that make it bearable? What helps alleviate my stress and fear–or at least what distracts me from both? Tune in tomorrow to see what I choose for U!
The Englishist 