I'm overwhelmed.
I've been teaching online for 20 years, but the past three weeks of my life have been incredibly complex. Working from home is not a big deal for me - at my last job, I often worked from home and established work "zones" and a daily routine that helped me focus on what needed to be done, but this is different.
This time, I've spent the past three weeks setting up and delivering workshops for faculty, answering numerous questions, calming a lot of jittery friends who are not sure how this is going to work, and - I kid you not - I was berated for posting a helpful comment on behalf of my own lengthy experience to a group of faculty. In times like these, you find out who people truly are.
But here I am, staring at my computer screen with content that is mine, that I am familiar with, and there is nobody but myself urging me on. I am tired. I feel demoralized from events that took place in the days prior to sheltering at home. And I need a break.
My students will be experiencing similar issues. Their parents and siblings have been impacted in ways I probably can't begin to imagine - while my feelings are bruised and my brain is tired, I still have my job. I can pay my mortgage and I have food and the companionship of a loving cat. I do not have the types of insecurities some of my students will be facing. They are graduating seniors whose world has been upended and changed in the blink of an eye. My heart goes out to them, and so I will push through this, as I always do. But it's not easy for any of us.
I've been teaching online for 20 years, but the past three weeks of my life have been incredibly complex. Working from home is not a big deal for me - at my last job, I often worked from home and established work "zones" and a daily routine that helped me focus on what needed to be done, but this is different.
This time, I've spent the past three weeks setting up and delivering workshops for faculty, answering numerous questions, calming a lot of jittery friends who are not sure how this is going to work, and - I kid you not - I was berated for posting a helpful comment on behalf of my own lengthy experience to a group of faculty. In times like these, you find out who people truly are.
But here I am, staring at my computer screen with content that is mine, that I am familiar with, and there is nobody but myself urging me on. I am tired. I feel demoralized from events that took place in the days prior to sheltering at home. And I need a break.
My students will be experiencing similar issues. Their parents and siblings have been impacted in ways I probably can't begin to imagine - while my feelings are bruised and my brain is tired, I still have my job. I can pay my mortgage and I have food and the companionship of a loving cat. I do not have the types of insecurities some of my students will be facing. They are graduating seniors whose world has been upended and changed in the blink of an eye. My heart goes out to them, and so I will push through this, as I always do. But it's not easy for any of us.
Comments
Post a Comment