For many of us, March 13, 2020 is a date we will be able to clearly and easily recall for years to come. I remember speaking to a mom at pick-up and telling her, “Oh, we’ll be back after spring break.” Then, I remember telling her First Grader that he would likely not go to Chuck E. Cheese during these days off, but we would all be together again soon. When I got home, I told my own kids that we would need to be learning at home for “a few days.” I had no idea Illinois’ would maintain Remote Learning for the rest of the school year.
Regardless of how amazing your school leaders are with change management, life-altering moments this dramatic can come with a feeling of apathy, resignation, loss of focus, and loss of energy. You may have students who started off strong with the completion of E-Learning assignments in March who are now beginning to fade off the radar in May. People experiencing this amount of instability can flip out with the smallest changes, become combative, and irrational. (And here is where my own colleagues are looking directly at me and shaking their heads.) Hey, it happens to the best of us! We just need to remember to bounce back from it.
Social media is something that we turn to for information and entertainment. Yes, watching a couple of Tik Tok videos (and perhaps making them) is a great way to relieve stress, but use your social media wisely for your mental health. Your Facebook or Twitter feed might not be what you want to be reading if you are anxious or flustered. We need a break from the terms “Covid-19,” “CoronaVirus,” “social distance,” and Pandemic. Have a scheduled time where you do an activity and can unplug. For an hour in the evening, I try to read a book, do an art activity, or play a board game. You really need time away from the internet and screens.
I’m all for being accommodating to parents and families. But at least in some parts of your day, turn your email and app notifications off. Turn them completely off. You want to have a clear mind to be able to lesson plan and work with your students throughout the day. Also, a mistake I have made is to read and answer school emails from colleagues at times where I was feeling flustered or down about this whole ordeal. You may not want to deal with the aftermath of your response later.
Binge on Netflix when you need a break or chill on lawn furniture with a cold drink. It’s okay! Sleep in on weekends, no one will judge you. In our lives, we’re used to fast pace-—going to our workouts, taking our kids to different activities, going to the grocery store, and all of our various appointments. Take time to sit, have your groceries delivered, and relax. Not being able to “live our lives” is frustrating, but we have an opportunity to relax on a weekend. Take a break when you need it
Mentally, we feel at a loss because some of us don’t even know how we will start the next school year or what our role will look like in the future. Find something that energizes you about your work. I write. Blogging energizes me and helps me clear my head about issues pertaining to work and the pandemic. I know we say thinking about work can cause fatigue, but a lot of us became teachers and administrators because our work energizes us. Think about the amazing things you can do for kids now and the amazing things you will do for kids after this is over. Join like-minded educators at this year’s HIVE to brainstorm ways to energize your students in your classroom when you are back.
The constant change can be exhausting in these times, but don’t let it affect you, your family, or your students. It’s okay to take a breather or get pumped up about a future idea. Why not? Doing this can actually help you recharge your batteries for more creative distance learning and also bring the thunder to your classroom when we are all ready to get back to our schools. Relax. We’re all riding this storm!
Sources For Further Reading:
Center For Disease Control Advice on Coping with Stress in A PandemicSarah Said is