LJ Idol Season 11 Second Chance Week 6: Milkshake Duck
There have been mornings throughout my career where I've woken up (especially when it's still dark outside) and thought, "if only I could telework." I had visions in my head as I groggily got dressed of sleeping in, rolling out bed whenever, sitting on my couch in pajamas working while watching TV in the background, taking breaks when I want to take breaks, eat when I want to eat. As an elementary school special education teacher in the public school system, teleworking has always been out of my reach. With a sigh on these mornings, I'd text my fellow teacher friends grumpily about how I wished work started later so I wouldn't have to worry about running late.
These past two weeks, however?
I'd give anything to go back to work. To have my routine back, to not be working from my dining room table (because hah, can you imagine trying to sit in front of the TV and teach 3rd graders?), to actually feel like I know what I'm doing, to be able to hold actual IEP meetings, see my students, do my intervention groups...
The county I work in has many positives to it...I just have a hard time seeing it right now. Maybe one day when I'm more accustomed to the online teaching life (or when I have more clear answers and guidance), I'll find the positives again.
Sleeping in? What's that? I'm up earlier than normal two days a week to support a 5th grader in an accelerated reading and math class because those classes meet ealier than the other grades. Other days, I'm at my computer at 8:50 AM (my normal start time) ready to try to map out my day. I sit in on multiple general education classrooms from 9-11 AM with no guidance on what am I supposed to be doing to support my students. The special education department keeps telling us, "wait, more information is coming!" It hasn't come yet and the information we have, leaves a million more questions than answers. If you're wondering why I say 9-11 AM, my county has determined that classes can only be held between those times to allow middle school and high school students access to computers at home in the afternoon (and classes are only 30-40 minutes long).
There are mixed messages on if we are doing interventions. We finally got some kind of guidance today on what we can do but there's debate on if we're allowed to do it or not with no clear answer. Can we legally do one to one or small groups (privacy concerns), can we make our students go to school longer than their general education counterparts? How often should we be doing intervention?
And what breaks and lunch? I grab lunch when I remember (and my husband is nice enough that if he makes himself lunch, he will make me lunch too and put it in front of me) but I'm drowning in paperwork like writing distance individualized learning plans (that's now a thing) and writing IEPS, emails, schedules, check-ins.... Don't forget phone calls and Zoom meetings and whatever else may pop up! I find also working from home, it's much easier to walk back to the dining room at 8 PM or 11 PM and just keep working which turns my days easily from 8 hour days to 10 or 11 hour days. There seems to be no work/home life balance when my work is now my home.
One day this will be a passing memory as things get back to normal. I'll be stumbling out of bed again half asleep, texting my teacher friends grumpily about having to commute to work, and I'll maybe long for the days of working from home. But somehow I doubt it...because if anything I've learned about myself in the past two weeks of working? The online teaching life is not for me!
These past two weeks, however?
I'd give anything to go back to work. To have my routine back, to not be working from my dining room table (because hah, can you imagine trying to sit in front of the TV and teach 3rd graders?), to actually feel like I know what I'm doing, to be able to hold actual IEP meetings, see my students, do my intervention groups...
The county I work in has many positives to it...I just have a hard time seeing it right now. Maybe one day when I'm more accustomed to the online teaching life (or when I have more clear answers and guidance), I'll find the positives again.
Sleeping in? What's that? I'm up earlier than normal two days a week to support a 5th grader in an accelerated reading and math class because those classes meet ealier than the other grades. Other days, I'm at my computer at 8:50 AM (my normal start time) ready to try to map out my day. I sit in on multiple general education classrooms from 9-11 AM with no guidance on what am I supposed to be doing to support my students. The special education department keeps telling us, "wait, more information is coming!" It hasn't come yet and the information we have, leaves a million more questions than answers. If you're wondering why I say 9-11 AM, my county has determined that classes can only be held between those times to allow middle school and high school students access to computers at home in the afternoon (and classes are only 30-40 minutes long).
There are mixed messages on if we are doing interventions. We finally got some kind of guidance today on what we can do but there's debate on if we're allowed to do it or not with no clear answer. Can we legally do one to one or small groups (privacy concerns), can we make our students go to school longer than their general education counterparts? How often should we be doing intervention?
And what breaks and lunch? I grab lunch when I remember (and my husband is nice enough that if he makes himself lunch, he will make me lunch too and put it in front of me) but I'm drowning in paperwork like writing distance individualized learning plans (that's now a thing) and writing IEPS, emails, schedules, check-ins.... Don't forget phone calls and Zoom meetings and whatever else may pop up! I find also working from home, it's much easier to walk back to the dining room at 8 PM or 11 PM and just keep working which turns my days easily from 8 hour days to 10 or 11 hour days. There seems to be no work/home life balance when my work is now my home.
One day this will be a passing memory as things get back to normal. I'll be stumbling out of bed again half asleep, texting my teacher friends grumpily about having to commute to work, and I'll maybe long for the days of working from home. But somehow I doubt it...because if anything I've learned about myself in the past two weeks of working? The online teaching life is not for me!