End of the School Year

Teachers lives turned upside down the day that Covid-19 lockdown hit the country. One day we are in school with our classes and the next day (with a blink of an eye) we are at home trying to figure out Virtual Learning. At the onset, we figured we would be out a week, maybe two. Little did we know that we would be saying goodbye to our students online three months later in June. For some teachers retiring this year it is an even harder task.

Learning and teaching online has taken up double the hours and created many tears and anxiety attacks for both teachers and students. Just learning how to navigate Google Classroom, online technologies to aid learning and students figuring out how to turn in work and be present were just some of the challenges. Teachers were learning about programs, like Screencastify and Loom, that they never heard of before, while knowing that their way of teaching would be changed forever.

When online learning started in mid-March, teachers were working around the clock in fear that students and parents wouldn’t know what was going on and to make sure their administrators were aware of their dedication and hard work. Zoom meetings, Google Meets and Flipgrid are now part of our daily vocabulary. Happy Hours on Zoom with games like Pictionary and Bingo are now the new normal.

But how do we say goodbye?

The last week of school is usually filled with Field Day, picnics, movies, games, laughter and tears as we pack up our classroom. It is not going into school alone to pack up your students’ belongings with tears streaming down your face. It is not looking at the board in June to see a date in March with the days schedule that did not happen. It is not seeing piles of paper on your desk that was intended for the next day’s lessons. For a teacher retiring like myself, it is cleaning out the remains of over 20 years of teaching without any goodbyes. It is a sad school year for all.

How do we experience this end of the school year being online? Teachers search for online activities that may simulate our last week but that warm, fuzzy yet emotional goodbye feeling just can’t be replaced and we cannot feel that through our computers. But teachers never stop trying! Teachers are exhausted, sad and have deep rooted anxiety about what is next in their teaching career. Will September be the same as always or will they have to set up social distancing in their classes? Will they be required to continue some Virtual Teaching? And most of all, what will their students be like after returning to school, when by September they will be out of a school building for 6 months. Six months with no teachers, no friends, no gym and most of all, no sense of their school community. Many of these students will be crying for their families like they once did when they started Kindergarten. These students will be looking for their old friends, some of whom moved, some of them who are now in different classes.

As I met with my students this morning to share our word collections, I tried to envision it in my classroom and I became even sadder. Some of my students designed beautiful word art, while some of them continued to show shyness online. Even my presentation did not evoke the same kind of response I would have received on my rug in my classroom. Some students continue to be diligent and hand in all assignments while others still haven’t figured out to navigate the Google Classroom and the various aspects and assignments.

With one more week of school left, I search diligently for fun activities for them knowing that nothing can or will replace us being together to finalize a year together. Their assignment for tomorrow is to tell me their favorite part of second grade. I can’t wait to hear what they have to say. My favorite part of 2nd grade was being their teacher and seeing their smiling faces each and every morning ready to embrace learning. We go forward in hopes that schools will return to normal for these beautiful children. I will be watching from afar but can’t wait to drop in and surprise them with a real goodbye in the fall.