Day 5 School Closure - Coronavirus (Thoughts)

My emotions fluctuate between a feeling of "We got this!" and all the things I didn't get to complete with my class. I find out next week the plans for the remainder of our school year. The hurry up and wait for the next shoe to drop is exhausting in itself, not to mention the feeling that I need to constantly stay connected to the news and social media to know the current status of our state, country, and world. I see beautiful things happening and ugly things. I am trying to surround myself with the positive while still feeling tremendous sadness for those who are struggling and will struggle. I am not sure how to occupy my time and take my mind off of the worries and uncertainties. The worries are not just for me and my family but extend to my students, their families, and for all those including those foolish students on spring break that may come to regret their decisions.

On one hand, I feel as though if our district goes to teaching online, I am ready and my students are ready. There are many things we did during the school year that helped us prepare for this possibility. I had already started using checklists that allowed students to move at their own pace to complete the required work. When students completed that checklist, they could move on to a smaller checklist of extension activities. Our class used Seesaw to record thinking, work, and complete assignments. Between the checklists and Seesaw, I think I could easily switch to distance instruction; however, I also know that not all of my students have access to the internet and/or devices beyond a parent's cell phone.

I am going to take a moment to reflect on the things we may not get to do in our class. I wanted to grow plants with my students. We were going to some coding of music with Scratch and primary source sheet music. Students were going to teach lessons to the class and share their expertise with the class. I didn't get to finish up instruction. There are so many loose ends and materials we were going to solidify in the last quarter. I didn't get to say goodbye. My last words to my students were, "I'll see you on Monday." I have two students that never got to be STEM Star Students for the week.

At times, I am worried about the lack of leadership in our federal government, but I have a theory on this as well. In times of tragedy, I believe people will do one of two things, look to and be inspired by a great leader, or, grow as a community and tackle the problem together. I see us working together in our communities and supporting each other, finding humor where we can, and doing our part. Again, I see this as an opportunity to come together over differences to help our country as a whole and bridge the divide.

We had an awesome last day with our STEM Day celebration. I am thankful that students had an amazing day before all of these necessary restrictions came to be. I hope Idaho and our country are doing as much as possible to protect the lives of our citizens and all those who are essential to keeping our medical system and goods and services up and running. I feel bad for being sad about relatively inconsequential concerns of not being able to have time with my students when so many others are dealing with so much worse. But I do have a deep feeling of loss at times. To combat this feeling, I focus on being grateful which I truly am. I am grateful that our district did what was necessary to help our community, state, etc. I am grateful that many of us have what we need to stay at home and take care of our families. I am grateful that there are many ways to entertain ourselves during this time. I am grateful that we may appreciate the people around us and simple pleasures more once all this is over. I am grateful for my family, friends, and my animal companions. This world is a beautiful place and we need to take care of it. Below are some photos from STEM Day to focus a little more on the positive.