Teaching in Coronatide

Week One: done. Here are some observations.

Wearing a mask wasn’t all that bad. I definitely anticipated it being worse, mostly because of the heat. I’m always warm, especially in my classroom, but some new pairs of dressier shorts helped. It was a little bit warmer, but that aside, it really was fine. Was it a nuisance? Yes. But it wasn’t horrible.
My kids seemed a lot more mellow. This is good at times, but overall it’s kind of a bummer. On day one, it was sad to see the kids not as energetic or excited to see each other as they normally would be. I know this is mostly because there were some major changes and they all had masks on, so I’m hoping as the year goes and they've gotten used to everything, they’ll go back to their old selves.
The kids did a FANTASTIC job. There wasn’t really any complaining, and besides a few reminders here and there, everyone did a good job of keeping their masks up and sanitizing their hands. My new favorite phrase for using shared supplies: “School supplies are like a butt: both should be wiped when you’re done using them.” Good job all around (staff as well!).
I’m truly happy to be back. Yes, I’m more tired than usual. Yes, there’s more to think about. But I can’t tell you how good it feels to be back with my kids. I’ve missed them so much, and nothing can replace the feeling of the first day of school with a classroom full of kids.

It was a great first week! This may be the only blog post I make, or maybe I’ll actually stick with it. Anyway, thanks for reading!

Stay educated.