Monday, December 28, 2020

#MTBoSYuleBlog - So Many Struggles

 


What is the Yule Blog Challenge?  Over Winter Break, I'm going to attempt to blog 12 times, sharing reflections of 2020 and what I'm looking forward to in 2021.  I would love for you to join in the blogging fun - read more about the challenge by clicking here!

So Many Struggles

Last night, a friend of mine posted something on Facebook that I couldn't help but respond to...


To be honest, this has been one of the most challenging years of my career in many ways - from recreating lessons, to learning new technology, to figuring out ways of teaching, but the question about is the one that hurts my heart the most.

Because it's more than just about the holiday.  

I have kids this year that are struggling and I don't know how to help them.  It truly bothers me.

I have more than one child that I have worried about during the break.  I have kids that I haven't heard from since early November.  I have reached out - I have tried to contact parents - I am at a total loss on what to do.

In this era of chaos, of back and forth of in-person and distance learning, of contact tracing and exposure, of illness.... what do you do to reach out to those kids that you haven't heard from?  I desperately need new ideas...

Emails go unanswered... phone calls aren't returned... I have in-person students, so I'm struggling with finding the time to support the in-person and the at-home learners.  Some kids that are at-home are thriving... they keep up on their assignments, they email (and respond to emails), they communicate with me.

But there are kids that don't.  And it hurts my heart that I honestly don't know if they are okay.

I don't know how to do it all... I don't know how to track down the kids that aren't working and aren't responding to me.  There aren't enough hours in the day.

I don't have any answers.  So I do my best... I keep sending emails... I keep making phone calls... I keep trying to juggle it all, but there are kids slipping through the cracks and I don't know if my heart can continue to take it.

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