Things I Learned Teaching During a Global Pandemic

A Covid-19 prepared classroom. Photo by Louis Bafrance, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

This school year has been unlike any other year in my entire teaching career. Sure, teachers jump through crazy hoops all the time set forth by people that know nothing about education, how learning looks different for different people, let alone kids themselves. Yet for 187 days a year, not including the summers when we go to training or spend time planning and prepping, we do it. Why do I do it? Because I love kids. I love to watch them learn and grow and figure out who they are. I truly love to see the world through their eyes. It’s magical.

This year was more magical than any other. That’s right. I said magical. I have seen some amazing work from some of the most dedicated educators this tumultuous school year.

When the pandemic hit last March, students didn’t return to school after Spring Break. They were expected to immediately try online learning and teachers scrambled to learn a new platform to help ensure their students could be safe at home while continuing rigorous instruction. A monumental feat to say the least. All parents suddenly became home school teachers. Having seen how it worked firsthand, there was a massive learning curve for all involved.

As summer came to a close, preparations began to try and bring everyone back to school safely. Virtual academies became an option for parents, and they could opt in every nine weeks to go to school online or face to face. My school district went fully virtual for the first month and a half of school. I teach preschool (kids aged four and five). Nothing could have prepared me for what I had to do. Here are the things I learned:

Teachers are the most badass and resourceful people in the world
Throughout the year, I saw many of my colleagues quickly adapt to virtual teaching. I have been teaching for an online ESL company for years, so I knew what teaching tiny humans online takes. It takes energy and knowledge of developmentally appropriate practices. Knowledge of how to incorporate total physical response to keep the kids active. Oh, and you have to be part Disney Princess and part Mary Poppins. My coworkers that never had any intention of being virtual teachers pulled it off. Google meets and Google classroom were quickly learned and utilized. All of this was accomplished without groaning or much complaining. We simply adapted.

Kids really are resilient
Throughout my career, I have taught the entire gamut; age 3 all the way up to college freshmen. The resiliency and adaptability of kids was something I have always known about, but this year I really got to see it in practice. We asked kids to wear masks all day. They did it. We asked them to do hybrid learning. They did it. We asked them to constantly wash their hands, use sanitizer, and sit behind a desk shield. They did it all. And on the off chance that they had to quarantine because of exposure, they switched from face-to-face instruction to fully online and back again. While this didn’t happen without hiccups, they still got it done. Kids found ways to talk with their friends while they were stuck at home and isolated. Even though it meant more screen time, they adapted. My own kids were quarantined several times. Loneliness got to them a bit, but they bounced back.
Handwashing, sanitizing, and keeping things clean really does work.

I don’t even know how many Clorox wipes, cans of Lysol, and bottles of soap and sanitizer I have gone through this year in my classroom. But between every activity, all the things that they have touched got sprayed down with disinfectant. My sweet babies washed their hands so much and they also used sanitizer at every transition of activity. Nap mats get sprayed down with Lysol every day. And you know the result of that? For the first time in all of my years as a teacher, I didn’t get sick. The kids stayed healthy, too. Over time I think that some of these practices will lessen in frequency. I do think however,

Leadership makes a big difference
I am so lucky to be at the school that I am at. We got a new principal this year and she is a ray of sunshine. Our school wide theme for the year has been “Be the Light,” and she is exactly that. Our whole staff exemplifies that spirit. Each grade level decorated their hallway to reflect the bright and positive attitude that we wanted to help our kids embrace. The leadership team constantly sent out little corny cards with chocolate (a teacher’s lifeblood) or provide other hokey teacher appreciation things throughout the year to show us that they saw the fight we were dealing with every day and that they were in our corner. Every person at our school chips in when needed. Whether it’s helping distribute lunches or picking up trash or walking babies to class, it all starts with our principal and assistant principal leading by example. Had they not been so incredibly supportive and positive, I’m not sure this year would have been so great.

Pandemics don’t last forever
As more and more folks get vaccinated, mask mandates get lifted, and things slowly return to normal more than a year later, I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes from Les Miserables “Even the darkest night shall end, and the sun will rise.” The sun is slowly coming back folks. Graduations happened this year. Proms happened this year. Some kids are even going back on field trips Sure these tokens of normalcy look a little different, but they are happening again. There is hope that life is getting back to the way that it was pre-COVID.

The big takeaway for me teaching this year has been that even in isolation, human connection is our greatest weapon in any sort of crisis. This year has been filled with so many ups and downs. “Blessed are the flexible” became the motto for all of us. Not knowing what to do if cases surged or half of our class was quarantined or even trying to socially distance 4- and 5-year-olds gave all of us a run for our money. But now here at the end of the year, I can say we reminded kids of the important things. Life keeps going. And most importantly, hugs and kisses can make any boo-boo better.