Where's Ms. Frizzle When We Need Her?

To all my fellow teachers, especially first-year teachers: Congratulations!!! You survived the 2019-2020 school year and distance learning. I applaud you! You may breathe now. Take it easy. You deserve a break – be sure to make the most of it before this next school year rolls around, because who knows what is going to come next…

I have so many questions:

- Is the year going to start in person or online?

- How am I going to establish relationships/guidelines if school starts online? 

- If there is another wave of COVID illnesses/deaths projected for the fall, is coming into the building safe?

- How can we make sure our students stay clean/healthy?

- What is the daily schedule going to look like?

- How am I going to fit all my students in my classroom while making sure they are 6 feet apart?

- Am I going to have all students in my room at one time?

- Where/when/how is lunch going to work?

- What about recess?

- Will there be extra catch-up work to do since the year was essentially cut short by 3 months?

- What is going to happen with standardized testing next year?

- What will happen with specials classes (art, music, health, Spanish, technology, etc.) and other essential components of learning due to possible budget cuts as a result of COVID?

My list could go on. My point is the amount of uncertainty is unsettling. I am anxious to know what life will be like as a teacher next year, and I am genuinely hoping that I will be able to finish the year in my classroom next year. If Ms. Frizzle were here, we’d have this madness sorted out already, and her fabulous students would have found a cure for COVID by now!

Stay strong, everyone!