Year 12 – Week 0: Coming Back

This past week of before school meetings and classroom preparation has felt both ordinary and strange all at the same time. We still have COVID-19 mitigations, but the school feels like it's reverting to normal. Teachers are back in their classrooms. Last year classes were split into smaller pods, and students didn't move for departmentalized classes. Those pods are back together, which started last spring, and the students are moving to other rooms for departmentalized classes like music.

We are now meeting in person, with masks, which is a big difference from last year where most of our meetings were over Zoom. Within the music department, even though we aren't entirely free to teach like we used to, we are getting closer to being able to do what we used to do. Last year, except for high school students, even with masks, could not play wind or brass instruments or sing. And now our medical committee has approved all students to sing, and vaccinated students can play wind and brass instruments. Having singing back in our curriculum, a central part of our curriculum, is exciting.

It felt strange working in my music classroom. Last year it was used as a space for a kindergarten class pod. Standing in the space, I could feel the potential in the space and a sense of arrival, but it didn't feel wholly mine. We have to space out the seats in this room three feet apart, which significantly limits what I can do with this space. It was like getting back the ability to drive but being told that you can only drive a specific route.

Thinking about my curriculum has been challenging. In years past, I taught 3rd, 5th, 6th and 8th grade. Last year I taught 4th grader instead of 3rd grade, and with one more change, I am now teaching 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th grade. The limitations last year meant that I had to create a new curriculum for all four grades that I taught. This school year, I can do some things I did do two years ago and some things I did last year, but they all have to weave together with new material I'm putting together. It's a lot to conceptualize. Right now, I've settled on having a plan for next week and giving myself some space for doing some more long-term unit planning after I have the feeling of the students' energy to help me do more long-term planning.

After a year and a half of teaching during a pandemic, reverting to teaching in a way that feels more pre-pandemic is challenging. I got used to being in crisis mode and embracing ever-changing challenges. This fall is a significant change from that. And while last year was an incredibly difficult year of teaching, I got used to it, and now things are different. Once I get in front of my students, I think that I will know how to be in this next stage of teaching in the pandemic. Right now, I'm unsure how that will feel.

There is so much work to be done before I welcome my students on the first day of school. Much of it will likely not get done, but it will be okay.

I got a couple of good songs to start with, some wonderful new students to meet, and other students I get to know further.  After all that I've been through as a teacher, I still feel proud to serve my students and privileged to have the opportunity to be a teacher.