A month ago I was discussing potential vacation spots with my husband for June. Should it be the beach? Europe? Today, for the first time in two weeks, I straightened my hair and wore what I’ve heard been referenced as “hard pants”, aka jeans. Our world has suddenly changed and will probably continue to for the foreseeable future. I am working from home, like many teachers around the country. Many of us navigating full online learning for the first time, while also trying to assist their own children with school work (not to mention preparing snacks from them every ten minutes and keeping them entertained). Despite this stressful environment, I see educators, principals, and district leaders stepping up their game even more, if that’s even possible. However, my never satisfied self is wondering if we are providing students with what they need, or if we’re simply trying our best to do “business as usual”.
Unfortunately many elementary students in the district I work in have no access to devices or the internet. My district has therefore put together packets which complement an online learning platform we use and consist of a worksheet or two per day. An answer to an extremely complex problem which I’m not sure even has a right answer. Even though our hope as educators is for students to continue learning, it is critical to remember our students’ worlds have also been flipped upside down. No play dates. No sports. No prom. No graduations. The list goes on. On top of that, many students are witnessing the burden this pandemic is placing on their families. Families who have no health insurance worry about getting sick. Families with laid-off parents worry about paying rent. Families with no money coming in worry about how to feed their children. But… here’s your packet.
Some days I wake up and feel like it’s a normal day…it’s not. Or I wake up and feel like the world is ending…it’s not. I’m influenced by some to make use of this time and finally learn Spanish or how to bake macaroons. While others suggest not to put pressure on myself. I don’t need to workout and can binge Netflix until April 30th if I want. I get anxious and critique every choice I make. Our students are people too and are experiencing their own forms of worry and stress. Are we doing our students an injustice by asking them to put their worries aside and learn the properties of a quadrilateral?
Math and science can attempt to provide answers during this unpredictable time. How does proper hand washing and social distancing help flatten the curve and by the way, what does flatting the curve even mean? Just how many ventilators are available where you live and will that be enough when people start getting ill? If it’s not, what solutions are there? What financial burdens are being placed upon families at this time and how does this impact our economy down the road? Once we allow our students to ask these questions and facilitate these conversations, they will begin to make sense of the world around them and it may provide some solace during these periods of stress. In math class, our students constantly want to know why were learning this. Now, we can show them.
Even though my passion for math education is high, my passion for people remains higher and I find myself again conflicted. Should we even be teaching any content at this moment? If we should, what would students benefit from learning about right now? Or should we simply be there for our students and meet each of them where they’re at whether that’s helping them process their emotions or find answers to their tough questions? I don’t pretend to have the answers. I can barely make decisions these days for myself. In any case, these are questions we have to be asking for the benefit of our students, even if we don’t yet have the answers.
