~and I was there~
I was there that day when they all walked out the door and never came back again.
I think of it so often and remember in my heart what it was like. It was Thursday, the 12th of March, and the last day of school before spring break. For some reason that day I more or less threw my lesson plans into the wastebasket, and allowed the kids some freedom and the opportunity to have fun. In the hour before school was out, we had a "spotcha" party in the lunchroom where they had a great time painting the most beautiful pictures you could have ever seen. They laughed and had a great time with their friends, never knowing it would be the last time they would be together again as a fifth grade group.
The after school tutorial students from my class decided to go ahead and stay for tutoring time even though I told them they could go early that day. We had a great time as they all worked together reviewing things for the upcoming state tests in reading, math, and science. 75% of my students had been staying twice a week after school ever since October. I often had to tell them they needed to get home when they wanted to keep working long after the 4:30 dismissal time.
I was there that last day when the final kid caught a ride home with his neighbor, and I waved goodbye to him as they drove away. I never saw them in person again.
Fast forward 5 months and we find ourselves getting ready for what is being called "Return to Learn" in the great state of Oklahoma. My initial plans of retiring and only working part time have been thankfully replaced with a wonderful opportunity as a teacher here in our town of Newkirk. In just a few weeks more, I will meet my 41st group of students in our 4th grade classroom. To the say the least, I am so happy.
I had plenty of time this summer to think about things, to feel the loss of something quite precious to me in life, and long for a return to school. I was fortunate to get the call to join the staff of the elementary school that is only a few blocks from our home. My classroom is nowhere near ready, but I am confident everything will be just fine.
This is an uneasy time to be alive in. In the days of this great pandemic, it's quite easy to find yourself anxious and afraid. As a teacher, I am feeling it quite strongly. A person would be foolish to say that everything will be just like it always was when we go back to school in August. It won't be the same, rather it will be "the new way " of doing things. We need to accept it, move on, and do the very best we can as we serve the students of our home communities.
The kids of Newkirk in Kay County, Oklahoma are depending on the fact that they will be able to walk back into the same "brick and mortar" school that they walked away from in March. Their teachers will be most happy to see them and look forward to getting back to school.
Well meaning friends have been cautioning me that in the time of Covid-19, perhaps it's not the best of ideas to return to the classroom. Although I have no underlying health conditions at all, I am only a stone's throw away from the vulnerable age group. I feel confident that I will be fine, but of course I will be careful and try to stay safe.
In the future, long after this time of global virus has gone away, I want to be able to say I was a part of it all. My mind will be at rest to know that I didn't sit back at home and just watch how everything played out.
My heart will be filled with peace and happiness to know this one thing.
I was there on the day they all came back.
I think of it so often and remember in my heart what it was like. It was Thursday, the 12th of March, and the last day of school before spring break. For some reason that day I more or less threw my lesson plans into the wastebasket, and allowed the kids some freedom and the opportunity to have fun. In the hour before school was out, we had a "spotcha" party in the lunchroom where they had a great time painting the most beautiful pictures you could have ever seen. They laughed and had a great time with their friends, never knowing it would be the last time they would be together again as a fifth grade group.
The after school tutorial students from my class decided to go ahead and stay for tutoring time even though I told them they could go early that day. We had a great time as they all worked together reviewing things for the upcoming state tests in reading, math, and science. 75% of my students had been staying twice a week after school ever since October. I often had to tell them they needed to get home when they wanted to keep working long after the 4:30 dismissal time.
I was there that last day when the final kid caught a ride home with his neighbor, and I waved goodbye to him as they drove away. I never saw them in person again.
Fast forward 5 months and we find ourselves getting ready for what is being called "Return to Learn" in the great state of Oklahoma. My initial plans of retiring and only working part time have been thankfully replaced with a wonderful opportunity as a teacher here in our town of Newkirk. In just a few weeks more, I will meet my 41st group of students in our 4th grade classroom. To the say the least, I am so happy.
I had plenty of time this summer to think about things, to feel the loss of something quite precious to me in life, and long for a return to school. I was fortunate to get the call to join the staff of the elementary school that is only a few blocks from our home. My classroom is nowhere near ready, but I am confident everything will be just fine.
This is an uneasy time to be alive in. In the days of this great pandemic, it's quite easy to find yourself anxious and afraid. As a teacher, I am feeling it quite strongly. A person would be foolish to say that everything will be just like it always was when we go back to school in August. It won't be the same, rather it will be "the new way " of doing things. We need to accept it, move on, and do the very best we can as we serve the students of our home communities.
The kids of Newkirk in Kay County, Oklahoma are depending on the fact that they will be able to walk back into the same "brick and mortar" school that they walked away from in March. Their teachers will be most happy to see them and look forward to getting back to school.
Well meaning friends have been cautioning me that in the time of Covid-19, perhaps it's not the best of ideas to return to the classroom. Although I have no underlying health conditions at all, I am only a stone's throw away from the vulnerable age group. I feel confident that I will be fine, but of course I will be careful and try to stay safe.
In the future, long after this time of global virus has gone away, I want to be able to say I was a part of it all. My mind will be at rest to know that I didn't sit back at home and just watch how everything played out.
My heart will be filled with peace and happiness to know this one thing.
I was there on the day they all came back.
~long ago and far, far away~
Josephine Marmont was my kindergarten teacher back in Burrton, Kansas. Here we all stand for our class picture in the fall of 1960. There I am, front row to the far right, my teacher's fingers lovingly holding onto my collar. Mrs. Marmont loved us kids so much and considered us her own. She knew what her higher calling in life was and by her goodness, she helped me to realize that it would be my higher calling too.
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