First week IN PERSON since Friday, March 13th, 2020

 

The first week of in-person school during the pandemic of 2020 is behind us. We can exhale a bit (at home with our masks off and a cocktail in hand). This week was ....challenging, but it was also exciting and fun! 

What worked well

First of all, we have amazing outdoor spaces!  With our slow start of only half the Navigator classes (about 30 kids in total; 10 from each class) we were able to play a whole group game outside!  Each pod was 14 feet apart from another pod and we made a giant outside circle!  It was awesome. We played the game where you write a word on a paper and stick it to one student's back and they ask 20 questions to figure it out. The students love this game. This big outdoor space AND the three outdoor shaded class areas are ALL OURS - just Navigators - and it's nestled back deep in campus past the soccer field.

I am also fortunate enough to be in a brand new barn for a school building! It's been completely renovated (understatement) and has all new HVAC system, windows in every classroom, lots of individual space, comfortable temperature...it's wonderful!

The third best thing about being back at Compass are the PEOPLE!!  It is glorious to see children on campus every day; it's delightful to connect with my colleagues each day. Most of all, it's incredible to be teaching in person, watching everybody working, building new relationships, and adapting to all the changes.

What was hard

The week was also really challenging.  Things you might think were the "hard parts" about teaching in a pandemic might include wearing the mask or distancing the students. I must share that we (staff and students) didn't struggle with those things too much.  Wearing the mask all day can be uncomfortable if it gets damp (carry an extra!), or if it's super hot outside (sweat!), or when trying to project your voice all day (I do have a voice amplifier!), but most of the time I honestly forget that my mask is there. However, when it comes to mask, shape and fit really matter.  Here I am sporting one of the masks my husband made for me:

I have tried loads of masks. Often I'm wearing one that is homemade (usually from my hubby or my daughter), but brands like jaanuu, pair of thieves, and stratton fashion have all been great! My biggest complaint about the mask was actually how it sort of discouraged me from drinking my water; I felt so dehydrated after day 1. So, on day two I told every class we'd begin with a check in: Do you need a mask break? And if so, please drink some water. I'm encouraging us to associate our mask break with a sip from our water bottle - seems like a healthy habit.

Following the gold standard of keeping students 6 feet apart was ok. Our classrooms are big and there's only 20 students max in each class. We have only two students in the 7th/8th grade that opted for virtual learning, but that is an option for everyone due to the pandemic. We also have that great outdoor space so it feels pretty comforting to be in fresh air.

I'd say one of the biggest challenges this week was the end-of-day defeat. It was exhausting. I am working full time this year and part of my role includes stepping in as a substitute when someone is out. Well, on September 17th our newly hired math teacher quit. So in-person this week, I covered all the math and all the Spanish classes - with no breaks til end of day Friday. I was spent. To be fair, the kids were spent too!  We've spent about six month hardly leaving the house at all, seeing very few people. Now we're together at school 8:15am until 3:30pm every day - big adjustment. It was both a blessing to my heart and sheer exhaustion for my brain and body.

It also felt like we were walking into walls every day: we updated everyone's chromebook with the new barn wifi yet the default is TCS and every day kids were freezing and struggling to problem solve, the tvs weren't working in our classrooms, we couldn't use cast for lessons, the printers and copy machine didn't work in the barn, there was no wifi in the outdoor classes, students forgot chrome books at home, chrome books broke, students were absent and information as to their health was unclear, there was no time to eat, there was no prep time, the chairs all roll...everywhere, our walkies didn't work, ..  

It was crazy.

I came home Friday around 4pm and filled the bath with epsom salts and lavender. I got in and cried for about 20 minutes before pulling my shit together. Week 1 is behind me. I'm ready for a new week. It has to be better; our new math teacher starts tomorrow!