I have spent several hours reflecting on my first year of teaching and where I am now. I can point out some significant areas of growth and many areas I can still improve on. This is what makes teaching unique and engaging. I do not have to wake up and do the same thing day after day without change. On the flip side, change can also come at you like the rapid fire Nerf Gun my son is chasing me with on a daily basis. Having this time to reflect and considering all of the change in the 2020 school year I was challenged to speak to a new teacher.
Can you imagine 2019-2020 or 2020-2021 as your first year of teaching?
WOW!
I am on my 15th year of teaching. I have experienced many situations in our district. Change of procedures, implementation of PLC time, introduction to late starts, change of administration and several different school boards that all brought unique goals and perspectives into the mix. At times you think "what will be next" or "how will that work out." In my interview with a new staff member I realized that when the pandemic hit in March my mind immediately went to a space that thought about how this would impact students and families. I went into advocacy mode and made sure all of the correct people heard my voice as I advocated for families in our program. I felt confident and safe sharing my ideas and out of the box thinking to meet the needs of families.
When I was speaking with Ms. B she shared that her mind immediately went into a space of worry, Thinking about where her support would come from while teaching from home. She also shared the she still felt the need to prove herself to others since she was new. As she was sharing I reflected upon my first year of teaching and remembered that I was a "yes" to all things: join all the committees, take on new tasks, when people asked I was always "doing just fine" and didn't need any support all while literally treading water trying to learn the ropes.
As we discussed how she felt "alone" moving into distance learning while knowing she truly had a team that supported her 100% she shared deeply. She shared that although she knew they would support her, she didn't want to bother them since she knew this was all new for them as well. Imagine how that must have felt. Knowing you have support of a team but not wanting to stress them out in her first year teaching! Uff-da!
As we continued to talk about the transition into the fall of 2020 (technically her second year of teaching) she shared how it still felt like year one. The year started out differently, there were new regulations and sanitation requirements as well as contact tracing documentation etc. She went on to say that to date she feels like she has had 6 first days of teaching. SIX!? One being the first day in 2019, the second moving to distance learning in 2020, then the fall of 2020 full in person, the winter of 2020 first days of hybrid, the fifth when they moved to full distance learning and finally this week moving back to full in person. Can you imagine having that many first days of teaching?
As an advocate for children this really has me pondering how this impacts students?
What does this do to their social emotional wellbeing?
Wow, Melissa, thank you so much for sharing Ms. B's story! I can't imagine the rollercoaster of a ride that is the first year of teaching let alone during the middle of a pandemic. How might you wrap your arms around her and help her? What skill do you have in your toolbox to help her succeed?
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