From the end of LAST school year …. and the 9 (now 10!) months since I started this rambling and very long post.
Part 1, written July 9, 2023.
[jump to part 2 here]
Honestly? It fell apart. I had some difficult situations in the classroom that would have been exhausting if everything else in my life was perfect.
Obviously, if you’ve read any of the earlier posts, you know my life is far from perfect.
And you probably know that my energy is generally low even when things are going smoothly. So the only explanation I have is that everything sort of piled up, one after another, before I was able to focus on or take care of anything else. And so, here we are at the beginning of the second week in July, with a life update. First, the list of “everything” that I can remember, in approximate order.
- Adult child moved out in early February! Stidkid #1 moved to the other coast, and I was looking forward to reclaiming my spaces (I didn’t mind his use of them, just missed having the space to work and create).
- A crisis at school resulted in my starting to bring materials and supplies home early – before I had time to make space for them. I ended up with dozens of containers large and small in the “library” (2nd bedroom) and “studio” (large closet-sized space with a doggie door in the wall).
- I slept through spring break in April…. which bothered me because Tom had taken the whole week off to spend time with me and I was too tired to do much or go anywhere.
- Once spring break ended it was test-prep time, and at the end of the first week back I learned a former student had died.
- Two weeks later, I learned my “hidden aunt” that we only found and connected with a couple years ago had passed away at about the same time as the student.
- The situation with the student in my class was not resolved, then testing started….
- Oh! And it was SO COLD and gray very late in the spring. A problem because along with the grief, I had significant resumed seasonal affective issues. And also a blessing, as one of the things that I had to remove from the classroom at the end of February was an oscillating fan that is usually essential on the very hot days of May and June.
- And my health issues were not resolving, so I was finally taking sick days when I was truly exhausted, and saw the doctor about anxiety/stress (made the appointment in April, but earliest possible with my actual GP was end of May), and – and – and…
- And by the time school ended on June 15 report cards were complete, the room was “good enough” tidied and cleaned thanks to Stidkid#2, friend S, and Tom; along with LOTS more boxes and items that went home.
- But progress was on the horizon! (read on for actual update!)
Part 2 – started April 7, 2024, finished May 18…
My health continues a slow decline, although medication I was prescribed in late August 2023 finally worked to prevent migraines, I caught covid in September. For a few weeks the only headaches were related to that. And then gradually, they came back until by January I had migraines several days a week. They were far less disabling than before, but that also changed. So I have started to seek medical advice – again. I will make it through this school year, and am looking forward to significant quiet time and crafting/sewing while enjoying the various views of the yard.
Let’s back up just a second, though.
I stayed home for two weeks with covid, and should have taken three, but felt I needed to return because the subs in the room have never been familiar with or willing to keep up with the routines and expectations. I knew, based on the class this year, that the longer I was gone, the harder it would be on the kids. Had I lived closer, or spent only half days, I think it would have been a good decision. But in retrospect, it set back my recovery by several more weeks in which I was able to teach “in the moment” and the students made progress, but I had to set aside many of the additional supports and lessons I would normally have implemented.
And because I caught covid AT SCHOOL while wearing a mask and trying to do my best to NOT catch it, I managed to infect Tom as well. He was better faster than I was, but it was a rough several weeks for us. And for Wally who, for the first few days, didn’t understand why he couldn’t cuddle with me. I was SO GLAD we had the murphy bed in the library, as I was able to isolate in more comfort than an air mattress would have provided.
Once Tom was sick too, we opened up all the doors. I took care of him when I had the energy, and he took care of me when he had the energy. We drank a LOT of tea, and hot lemonade, and soups.
Back to school – I am teaching a delightful group of children this year, and although managing their various needs while struggling with health was not easy, it was not a burden. In general, the class started out well below grade level on nearly every metric, so I had set up multi-level expectations from the beginning. They needed considerable reteaching (review, but as if it was never taught since it was never fully learned), and I took more time with the basics of grade-level work as well. Because I had almost no on-level students to model grade-level work we walked through more examples before I allowed students to work together and still more walkthroughs before assessments. I also chose to limit classroom assessments to fewer items to accommodate issues with stamina for independent work.
I found I could focus better on what they actually needed once I stopped worrying about trying to catch up to the rest of the third grade classes! I put most of the emphasis on teaching “how to learn” over “what” and also let the students know when I was teaching a first or second grade skill rather than grade-level. I had to do a LOT of that for some reason this year, but it was important both that the kids feel successful in learning while recognizing the difference between grade-level work and “catching up” work.
Other life events: back in contact with my brother after many years. I think we have both mellowed with age… it is good to have him back in my life.
Although my physical stamina is poor due to the migraines (any effort re-triggers even after taking excedrin), I have been able to spend some time helping in the garden. Last weekend Tom and I went shopping at https://urbanfarmoly.com/ on Saturday and got a LOT of lovely flowers and other plants. Mostly for the front garden, but a few to revitalize the area outside our bedroom in the back. Then we spent Mother’s Day in the garden – I was outside for several HOURS, happily weeding, potting up, and placing pots where actual digging would need to happen. See the “What’s in the Garden” post from May 18 for a small gallery of images over the last few weeks. https://www.stidmama.com/2024/05/whats-in-the-garden-may-2024/.
I have set up some new routines in our home and in the classroom to streamline some of the work and minimize setting-up time most days. In the last few weeks the migraines have caused me to need extra sleep, even missing supper a few days. So neither the house nor the classroom look quite as tidy or end-of-year ready as I would have liked; but it’s not bad. I make some small progress toward better organization and cleaning at least once or twice a week.
Right now, I am setting up for a couple of extra days “off” when I will be at home on school days: one day is a field trip (I’ll work from school for a couple hours, then pack up and grade from home over a long weekend), and the other is a day that was scheduled as a weather make-up day – Tom is heading out for a family function several hours away, and I will be hanging with my Wally.
If you’ve made it this far, thank you! Here’s a picture of Wally resting under the lilacs last weekend while I gardened.
