I was not looking forward to teaching in-person this week.
The COVID-19 infection rates and fatality statistics aren’t getting better. Yes, my school’s mitigation strategies have worked, and even with the addition of COVID-19 tests for all students and faculty who came back in-person, the risk is not zero. With the vaccine horizon, after months of doing the right thing, social distancing, and wearing masks, I am even less willing to take risks than I did last fall.
The teaching zeitgeist in Chicago is not good. Chicago Public School has started in-person school, and many teachers are not on board.
The Chicago Teachers Union and the Chicago Public Schools never agreed on a plan to bring students and teachers back. While we can debate which side is more at fault for the current situation, it is clear that there is significant conflict right now in the CPS. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a path to resolution.
In Evanston, where I live, there continues to be tension around the plans to reopen the school. The superintendent and some members of the school board are acting divisively. Labels of “white supremacists” have been misused in response to people who have challenged the superintendent, creating a divide within a community that needs leadership to build bridges.
After being responsible for countless unnecessary deaths, the trump’s administration handling of vaccine roll-out that delays teachers from getting the vaccine will lead to more deaths. It’s hard to be optimistic about any vaccination timeline.
On top of all of this, I’ve been home remote teaching after Thanksgiving breakthrough winter break. That’s almost a month and a half. I know that the transition is hard on my family, especially my 3-year-old Ethan, and I was not looking forward to not having time to spend with him in the mornings.
With all of this is happening in the world and swirling in my mind, it was a great week of teaching. The energy of my students pushed me through the day. We engaged in fun conversations and debates about “good” music and examined different anthems and what it meant to represent a group, body, or a cause through music.
In discussions, students brought up ideas that I hadn’t thought of before. They were receptive to my activities and my feedback. And we had fun thinking deeply, engaging with others, and practicing and developing the skills needed to have productive, respectful, and inclusive discussions.
It’s strange. I sit here at the end of this school week, and much has not changed in the world since this week started. In some ways, things have gotten worse. I would rather be at home, but I am happy that I taught this week in-person.
When things get difficult, when the world gets dark, it’s hard to find the motivation to do. Staying static feels safe, but that doesn’t make us feel better. After the attacks on 9/11, my mom told me that we have get to work because that is the way to honor things that are lost and find purpose in the darkness.
It was very hard this week to find the energy to make it to my school, but once I got into the classroom, the spirit, the work, and the magic of my student lifted me up, and I felt inspired.
I’m looking forward to seeing them next week.
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