Space and Grace

"I'm going to come home right after school!" I vowed when I returned to the building, but two days in I am already seduced by the sun shining in through that window, as it has so many afternoons in the last 27 years, warming me as my fingers fly over keyboard and mouse, crafting the lessons that will become skills and knowledge in the days to come. 

Even though my desk has been moved to allow for six feet between me and the tidy rows of desks a handful of students will occupy next week, those four walls have witnessed my entire career-- countless inhales and exhales and all the spaces in between. Being present in that place after a year of teaching remotely is a homecoming. The clock on the wall speeds ahead, and it's already later than I planned.

One day in the not too distant future, I will close the door on that room behind me for the last time. Another teacher will stand at the door to welcome the students, and maybe sigh with a little relief when they charge off to the rest of their day, leaving behind a quiet space to work and plan for the learning ahead.

Reality Check

We showed a series of safety videos today at school in order to prepare those students who are returning to the school building next week and the week after. Modeled on the TV series Stranger Things, the videos ran through the rules and safety requirements in a humorous and witty way. 

The mitigations are hardly surprising, especially for a community that the NY Times designates as "Very High Risk" for COVID-19: from arrival to dismissal, the middle school kids are expected to stay six feet apart and wear their masks in most situations-- the classroom, the hallways, and the restrooms. At lunch, masks can be removed while eating, but students will be seated at desks set at six foot intervals with plastic shields. There is also a daily sign-in procedure that includes health screening and temperature check, and students must sign out any time they leave their assigned room during class.

"What do you guys think?" I asked my homeroom afterward.

"The videos were good, but the rules are insane!" one student responded. "I predict kids will lose their minds if they have to follow all those! Something has to change!"

"Maybe," I agreed, "but it won't be the rules."

Free Your Mind

We had the full attention of our pets this afternoon as we did a crazy yoga kriya in the living room on our lunch break. As we stretched and twisted and breathed deeply, or with fire, the dog was downward and the cats were cows; their participation complicated the space, but definitely expanded the energy, too. 

The penultimate pose of the series had us placing our thumbs on our temples with fingers straight up and chanting. Full disclosure? It was awesome, but I also had to giggle a little.

"I hope the dog walker doesn't come right now," Heidi said.

"I hope she does!" I laughed.

As it Should Be

I had a moment this afternoon, while walking the dog through relentless rain and mourning the safety and flexibility of working from home that we will soon lose, when all I wanted was to throw everything aside, like the covers in the morning when I get up, and drive cross country in April with my nephew Treat and camp for 10 days in Death Valley. Upon my return, I would go down to the Outer Banks and stay with my other nephew, Victor, on the beach for a couple weeks, until it was time to head to Alaska, where our godson, Josh, will be working this summer. 

Why not? I thought. What's stopping me?

The answer is some variation of 30 years and all the stuff that binds a 58-year-old teacher to the (wonderful) life she has built. 

But these boys! These men-- it has been my joy to take them on some of their earliest adventures, and now it stings a little to be left behind as they go forth and do such awesome things on their own.

Limited Series

As I mentioned in an earlier post, our latest TV binge has been The Crown on Netflix. Four seasons late to the party, we have had the luxury of carrying right on through the show at our pleasure. For us, "binge" means one or, at the very most, two episodes an evening, and so we slowly make our way through this series or that. As we neared the end of the second season of The Crown, I was aware there would be a cast change, and I had grown so attached to Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth that I was not ready to let her go. 

Pausing at the end of episode nine, we watched several documentaries about the real royal family. "Why don't they include this stuff in the show?" Heidi griped.

"Because it's a show," I said. "They have a dramatic arc and too much extraneous information would be confusing."

She shrugged unconvinced.

Eventually, we watched the end of season two and moved on to season three. As I predicted, I could not get behind Olivia Coleman as the queen. "Why did they have to drop a perfectly good Queen Elizabeth?" I griped.

"Because it's a show," Heidi answered. "They have to show time passing somehow."

I shrugged, unconvinced.

Happy Burpday

Pity poor Lucy-- today is her birthday and she had a grooming appointment, not something she loves. It's hard to know if it's the combing, the clipping, the bathing, the drying, or the anal gland expression, but suffice it to say that a spa day? It is not. Even so, grooming is a necessary nuisance which happens regularly, and so Lucy must sigh and go along quietly.

To add insult to injury, she has also been suffering from a bout of indigestion which has her gulping and belching and straining to eat the sweet, sweet grass that only dogs can identify for sure. As closely as we watch her diet, with Lucy digestion is delicate and sometimes difficult. Never a shy dog, last night she woke us up, heaving and hiccuping. "Tomorrow is going to suck!" Heidi growled once Lucy was finally settled, snoring away, stomach gurgling. 

It was hard not to agree, but for the fact that we love her so!

It Seems Only Fair

Last year I realized that if I was going to ask my students to step out of their comfort zone and challenge themselves to do something every day for one hundred days, then I should do that, too. My challenge couldn't be writing, since that has become a habit, so what could I do? 

Back then, in March of 2020, I decided on sit-ups and meditation, and I despite the pandemic (or perhaps because of it?), I am proud to say I made my hundred days and have continued on. Daily diligence is kind of my jam.

What's next? you might wonder, as I have, too. So I decided to throw it out to the kids. Next week, they will get to propose a hundred day challenge for me. And honestly? I can't wait to see what they come up! 

Stay tuned.