~A letter to the children~ From one side of the computer screen

The first semester of this "bonus" year for me as a teacher has now come to fruition.  The last few days of the final week were spent in "virtual school" because of rising Covid 19 numbers in our part of the world.  It wasn't exactly the way we wanted it to end, but sometimes things are out of our control.  

2020 has seen to that more times than not as of late.

In this strange year it seems like change was inevitable in so many aspects of my life.  From being sure in mid-March that it was time to retire for good, to returning to the classroom yet once again in August as a fourth grade teacher here in Newkirk, I could not have predicted all that I would go through.  Thus far I have survived and for that I am thankful.

Normally speaking, it is my tradition to pen a letter to my students as the year begins and as it comes to an end in May.  This year I feel compelled to write to them now in mid-year and that is what this blog post is about.  I will not see them again until that first full week of January so I hope that their parents will share this special letter with them during a well deserved and hard earned Christmas break.

My thoughts to them follow, in A Letter to the Children.

Dear 4th graders,

Oh how I hope that you have been enjoying these lovely days at home with your families and friends during our Christmas break.  I have thought of you and wondered how you were doing and praying you remain healthy and safe.  This is one year we have all earned the chance to take a break, to walk away for a bit from the confines of the classroom.  You will learn later in life just how important it is to rest and refresh not only your bodies but your spirits and souls as well.  I had to learn the hard way about this.  I would desire for you to learn the easier way.  

Can you believe that we have actually completed an entire one half of a school year?  Was is not just yesterday that you walked in for that first day of school?  Do you remember what that was like?  I know that I do.  After being separated from kids after the virus began in March, I was a tiny bit hesitant to suddently put myself back into what some deem "harms way".  It didn't take long, to be honest only about a minute, to lose that sense of hesitancy and become most grateful for the chance to be called "teacher" once again by children just like you guys.  From that day forward, we never looked back and just like that our year is already half over.

You know I have to say something to you all, something I want you to understand.  I want to complement you and express to you all my utmost admiration for the job you have done thus far in your fourth grade year.  Attending school "virtually" is a tough thing to do and with our practices and the time we've actually needed to be away from one another because of Covid 19, we've logged nearly 3 1/2 weeks worth of that type of learning.  Of necessity, you have had to become independent learners as you worked your way through assignments on Google Classroom.  Computer programs didn't always work and sometimes questions had to wait to be answered.  So many times as I watched you from my side of the computer screen, I wished I could have been of more help to you.  I sensed your frustrations and I am sure you must have sensed mine as well.  It wasn't easy, but with the help of your families and others along the way, we have made it.  

Things will be different as we return.  A new fourth grade classroom is being established in order that we can have less students in each of the rooms.  Because of that, 7 of you will be moved from our room to the new classroom that first week back.  I'm not going to lie.  I will miss you 7 kids and the chance to be your teacher for the remainder of our year.  You know how I always tell you kids that I would never trade any of you, even for a million dollars?  Well, I still mean that.  I wouldn't trade you but I know that it is for the best that you have the chance to be part of a new classroom community that will be taught by a very wonderful teacher.  I hope that you seven children take with you everything you've learned about sticking together,  practicing kindness, and being of good character as you make that a part of your new room each day.

Thank you to all 24 of you for making this first semester a very productive and memorable one for us all.  I've taught you in person and online from behind the computer screen.  I've delivered books and materials to many of your homes or met your parents in the parking lot at school to be sure that you had what you needed to continue learning no matter where the "classroom" ended up being.  I've sat at my desk in the very early morning hours and asked the good Lord above to protect us and keep us safe during the day.  I've watched you grow and change and you know what?  I've watched myself grow and change as well. 

There is nothing we cannot accomplish if we follow the one rule that our classroom abides by and that is that we stick together.  I look forward to returning in January to complete this year that I never figured that I would have.  Someday in the future many years from now as you sit back and talk about what it was like to be a fourth grade kid in the time of the great Pandemic, I hope you will always remember and tell those around you this one thing.

"I was a fourth grader that year.  I had a teacher named Mrs. Renfro and she loved us kids very much."

See you in January!

Stay safe and healthy,

Mrs. Renfro 

Teaching virtually is not the best of situations but teachers all over the world have learned to do it!