June: All Wrapped Up!

This ball of old, dirty yellow tape perfectly captures the essence of this year. 

Social distancing, chaotic mess, and hopefully a different school year in September. 

Forty-weeks ago, I was slumped in a chair, hands covering my face as I cried in my dark empty portable that would soon by my own classroom. I felt the immense weight of the upcoming year; the 17 students I would be responsible for, the curriculum and content I was going to have to cover and the uncountable hours I was about to work. Soon after, at the end of my first ever day of teaching I remember hearing the principal exclaim, "only a hundred and something days left until the end of the school year!". And here I am now, with my first year behind me, partially completed in that now familiar portable and partially from my bedroom, during a global health crisis - by God's grace and with His help, I did it! 

Everyone has been asking me how the school year went and how these final months have gone - which I've answered, "good... I guess?" I don't have any point of reference to frame these past 10 months, no full year of teaching to compare it to - which in some cases may have been an advantage. Perhaps masks, and social distancing and pivoting to remote learning with a few days notice is just how teaching is! 

Since my last update in February; the March break I was so looking forward to got postponed to mid April, schools closed once again after the break and we moved online. It took some time to get used to being back online, but we quickly settled in and developed a steady rhythm. Our schedule moved from 12:30-3pm to 11am-2pm to allow students to end their day earlier, which was nice for the teachers as well. 

Remote learning comes with its advantages and disadvantages. In some instances, I appreciated the chat function as it allowed students who were a bit more shy to engage, it provided a space to submit answers or ask questions without interrupting the class, and it was an immediate and direct way to engage students one on one. I remember trying to motivate one of my students in French class and direct messaged him little encouragements as he participated. I was encouraged to see him look down at the chat and smile to himself before raising his hand again to chime in again. And of course, a big shout out the all powerful mute button too. On the other hand, remote learning made assessing student understanding and learning really difficult. It felt like I would take time to plan and prepare a lesson and once it leaves my mouth and goes through the screen; it is out of my control and whatever the student chooses to do with the material is on them. 

Both soon and not so soon after, it was all of a sudden late May, and there appeared to be a growing urgency to have schools open for the end of the year. By early June I was convinced that we'd return and it was just a matter of when. I was looking forward to see the students again, but after nine and a half weeks of remote learning, I honestly didn't even know what teaching for a full day was anymore. The thought of waking up early again, being "on" for 8 hours straight and recess duty (aka social drama) was terrifying. But to my surprise, it was announced that we wouldn't be returning to school and how odd it was to end the school year with a click of a button, "leave meeting". 

I think the greatest disappointment of the year was not just missing the graduation at my school but missing the the graduation at one of my placement schools. Two years ago, I had an incredible six week teaching placement at Sir William Osler Elementary School and developed a great connection with my Grade 6 students and the staff there. I had visited regularly pre-COVID and had been waiting with eager excitement to see them as they graduated this year. Unfortunately, I couldn't make their drive by grad and only got to see their virtual graduation slideshow. I'm disappointed that I likely won't see them again. 

The summer is upon us, but I must say that my mind is already racing ahead to the fall. The thought of a new school year and a fresh start is exciting. It feels good to have finally closed the book on whatever this past year was, and I am ready to begin a new book. Especially, since this upcoming year I've been tasked with covering the music teacher's maternity leave! I'll be teaching JK-4 music/choir and will continue teaching ukulele with my 5/6 class. All my creative wheels have been spinning. 

Teacher Reflections 

well

- I did it! I got through my first year, and I am proud of showing up - I didn't miss a single day this year!

- I developed good relationship with students, staff and parents and had good communication with them with monthly newsletters and emails.

- I learned to be okay with bad days and lessons that didn't go as planned

- I am learning the value in moving beyond just traditional, robotic worksheets and engaging students by having meaningful classroom discussions (even though navigating them is a bit scary!)

- Throwing together a digital class yearbook during our last week to remember this past year

to improve

- seeing things through and being consistent with classroom management and discipline

- getting a better sense of realistic learning expectations at their grade level

- breaking down assignments into smaller pieces 

- keeping students with special learning needs in mind and giving adequate help to my students

- teaching literacy... this subject has been such a challenge to navigate and teach