August 2019 seems like a far off memory, but the memory of the first day of school always lingers. We all experience the first day jitters and nervous anticipation of meeting all the new happy faces in our classroom. We deal with the same uncertainties; will I fit in, will my class like me, will the students have an impactful year? And, of course, my worries fade away as the year goes on and the class comes together, gets into a routine and thrives…Fast forward seven months and those same feelings came rushing back as we tackled a new challenge caused by an unthinkable pandemic. As we looked at alternatives for minimizing the impact on our students, we decided to enable a new, remote learning platform for our school. It was the first day of school all over again. We were uncertain and nervous once again. Would the children relate, could we keep our sense of community, and would my students continue to learn? The students and parents were also adjusting to a new reality and had their own concerns. I could see the apprehension in everyone’s face during our first meeting via Zoom, our chosen remote teaching platform. But just like before the pandemic, we all kept focus on the tasks at hand with a shared goal to positively impact the lives of our students. Our commitment to each other is apparent and the kids are learning. One of their assignments this past week was to share the pros and cons of online learning. I thought you’d like to hear a few things they shared with me.
This isn’t how any of us would have pictured our spring at St. Theresa’s together but, in spite of our current predicament, our classroom and school continue to be to grow and learn…together.
With heartfelt wishes for all,
Mrs. Reaves
First Grade Teacher