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"I am not afraid of storms as I am learning to sail my ship." - Louisa May Alcott
The classroom is clean, desks are aligned, whiteboards are white, chalkboards are dust-free. There is a calmness that encompasses the room. The silence is eerie, but soothing; the smell is faded, yet invigorating; the look is empty, however full of anticipation. The taste in your mouth is dry, because you know ... this is the CALM BEFORE THE STORM!!
Are YOU ready for the back-to-school storm??
If you're anything like me ... NO! I have not battened down the goal-and-objective hatches, boarded the lesson-planning windows, made the classroom-management evacuation plan, stocked the student-activity storm cellar, sandbagged the unit-material doors, etc. I am so NOT ready to weather the impending scholastic storm. So, what do I do - PANIC!
If you are an organized, well-prepared, ready-for-any-storm type of teacher, you probably don't need to be here! :-)
Usually, at the beginning of a new school year, I wait until the last possible moment to start preparing. My intentions are noble, and I am always certain that this is the year when I get my act together again. Then the PANIC sets in! I frantically search through my previous lesson plans, loosely decide what topics to cover first in the tried-and-true units I am comfortable with, and then whip up a tentative timeline for the first two or three weeks. (okay - truthfully, sometimes only the first few lessons!)
When the storm finally hits on the first day of classes, I am able to survive the first getting-acquainted downpours, introduction-to-the-upcoming topics gale-force winds, the near-flooding of the what-do-you-remember test, the student-interest-level power outage, etc. But, I know that if a teaching tornado hits or there is some serious pedagogical precipitation, it's over!
Mind you, my students very rarely notice that I am barely surviving the scholastic storm. I have years of experience and previous storms to thank for that! They don't know, but I know.
This can be more stressful than the actual preparedness (or lack thereof). The feeling of knowing I could do this better is both calamitous and disheartening: it is downright DISENCHANTING!
And this year’s back-to-school storm has gale-force Covid19 winds! We still don’t know where, when, or how to prepare for this one! Is it going to hit back, keep hitting, or get worse! It may be harder than ever to find that spark of reEnchantment!
So, how do I move from this disenchanting and somewhat paralyzing position in this Covid19 period? Well, they always say that if you keep doing the same thing, you'll keep getting the same results. So, it's definitely time for a different approach!
Join me on a journey to becoming a reEnchanted teacher! Even if you are already weathering the storm, feel free to join.
Get my 5 FREE reEnchanting tips to help you STORM-PROOF whatever transition you are facing: back-to-school, from in-class to digital, from digital to in-class, after a school break, after a long weekend, after any weekend, or any other transition!