In the waning hours of 2021’s spring break, I am thinking about returning to my school building tomorrow. High school buildings reopened to students the last week before spring break, and my school said that teachers who are not on medical accommodation need to report at least once a week. I report to school on Mondays to watch kids learn remotely in the cafeteria while I teach remotely simultaneously.
If this seems weird, that’s because it is. I believe my school’s administration is doing the best they can with what they have. It is not feasible to reschedule the whole school at the end of March to allow for in person learning for 25% of the school population. The UFT mandated that we are not to be teaching in person and remotely at the same time. That leaves my school with the option of continuing remote instruction, but having kids come in who opt to.
At this point in the year, we’re all tired of the constant changes. We are just trying to get through this and support our students, who somehow manage to muster the motivation to show up. Even though it has not been made public to us, I am hoping that during this time, there is a plan being put in place for next school year. I think we need to learn from our experiences this year and make ourselves stronger for next year. Will that include 5 days a week with in person learning for high school students? I don’t know. But I do know it needs to be consistent so teachers, students and parents can begin to get into a more normal routine.
Meditations on Literature and Literacy...Continued 