Have you ever found yourself listening to the rumblings….contributing…..only to suddenly realizing that the current of thoughts is focusing on one really big topic and is taking up ocean front real estate in your mind? It is so easy, friend! I found myself spiraling into this pit just last night and awoke to the thought, pandemonium can be a virus too.
Good educators are natural worriers. We tend to like having control of situations and to begin the school year with perfection as we welcome new students into our classrooms. We spend the summers reflecting and refining to give the very best to our students. It is an understatement to say that COVI-19 has thrown a monkey wrench into our plans.
For the first time in our careers, the opening day is not followed by an exclamation point but a question mark. We then find ourselves on social media and in conversations of anxiety, unknown, and anticipation. For one, I am thankful for masks to cover my face as I avoid these conversations with community friends on grocery store runs .
If we are not careful, we can let it consume us. Someone once said that worry just robs us of the present. I am doing my best to be mindful that everything is going to be alright. We will get through this. Educators are the world’s best at being dealt impossible hands and making the absolute best of it. In the meantime, I came up with few things for you to think about in place of worrying.
- Take time for yourself. Find that book. Take that walk. Try those recipes. Send cards to those you miss. Try something new. We are going to need your best you when we return to school.
2. Acknowledge that some things are just out of our bubble of control. This is such a liberating experience. Influence where you can and let go of what you can’t.
3. Trust that every one is doing the best they can. I try to give grace because I know I am going to need it myself at times….we all do.
4. If you must think about school…..I know it is always something that is on my mind. Think of how you can improve and move forward. Consider how far you have come since Covid-19 landed on our plates. Reflect on how you can take what you have learned to provide a richer classroom, remote, and blended experience for students.
5. Keep people in your bubble that inspire you to grow and be that for someone else. Friends that focus on growth and ideas are good to have. They give us a space to dream and imagine. It is so good for our brains, our emotions, and well being. If you find each other going down Pandemonium street, pull one another out of it.
I hope you find these things helpful. Just getting them down in words has been some what therapeutic for myself. We must work together to contain the spread of pandemonium. We need no vaccine for it. You have everything you need to be a positive force for good. One thing I say to my children and self frequently is, “This too shall pass.” We are in a major moment in history. Our children are going to have remarkable stories to pass down generations. Let’s be a part of the solution, not the problem. Let’s ban together and know that it is all going to be alright.
Marsha Moore Sirkin 