By Tania Dooley
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| Image: Jeffrey Hamilton via Unsplash |
As I sit in an empty space waiting for students to log on to their computers to join an online session with me, the reality sets in that this first day of school is different than so many others I have prepared for. While I wait, I take a quick look at Facebook and memories come up from other years - one year I posted how I had butterflies in my stomach from the excitement, in another year I posted how grateful I was to be teaching 7th graders (I only teach 8th grade now), and last year I posted about the new ways I decorated my classroom walls. This year the only thing I'm posting are lessons and activities on the online platforms. I post and revise making sure I have enough planned for our new block schedules. I anticipate meeting students but only through an outdated school picture, and finally, I do not post on social media because I am not sure how this will go. This is school during the age of COVID-19. Welcome back.
Eventually I anticipate that all of us will get a sense of that old comfortable classroom feeling. Once we get into a routine of things such as navigating the apps, turning in work, and socializing through our technology, I think we'll thrive in this temporary new normal. On a more personal side, just like in real life I know some students will dread getting up in the morning and yet others will be excited and ready to learn. This is the part of school that's been practiced for generations, the part that happens before you actually get there.
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| Image Via Unsplash |
So some will barely make it to virtual first period on time, and others will not only be ready, they'll be wishing the teacher rushed through the lessons to start working on their own. Some will finish the work quickly and meet timely deadlines, and others will wait until the last minute. All of this just like before. After a couple of weeks, with continued interaction between teachers and students, we might find that even though it doesn't look quite the same as the old way of schooling, it'll be the closest thing, and we'll continue moving forward. Some people call this adaptability, some resiliency.
So as we navigate this new type of schooling, I see promise, because in this blending of technology and education we are preparing this generation of students in ways we never thought possible. Imagine getting lessons with less interruptions and turning in schoolwork at one's own pace. Visualize the possibilities of creativity arising in this new learning environment. This new blend of skills will translate into essential skills needed for a different kind of tomorrow, one we have yet to see.
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| Image: Bram Naus via Unsplash |
So as I look around and find myself alone in this space, I know it's only for a moment. In a quick minute my virtual space will fill will new students, with their concerns and excitements, with empty chatter and with their brightest ideas. We might all be pleasantly surprised to see that our first week of school during this global pandemonium wasn't daunting at all, and that it was perhaps, enjoyable and educational after all. We might all be relieved when we say, it went well.
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| Image credit: Unplash |
