School Counseling during Fall of 2020
Today was tough. I could end there and be content that I had explained enough... Rather than focus on the difficult day of getting an email at 9:30pm the night prior from my principal, saying to cancel all obligations up until 12:30pm so I could teach a 1st grade class the following day; setting aside my counseling duties, with the exception of meeting with a teacher regarding resources I assisted her with for a student needing behavioral and academic interventions before school, prior to reading post-it note lesson plans the teacher out left behind (not explaining how to access the three electronic platforms I needed to utilize, nor having all materials I needed to be successful); having the virtual teacher enter my room two minutes into the start day to question why the virtual students were not yet connected and complaining she would get multiple phone calls about this and wanted to field the calls (with me ignorantly thinking she was coming in to assist in the start of the day to help make sense of the post-it lesson plans, relief turning to realization this wasn't the case) -- no directions how to do were left on any of the post-its, so she took it upon herself to come in the room with the principal and tinker with the technology for the next 10-15 minutes while I greeted students and tried getting class started and take lunch count); dealing with a couple kids who were out of control (one in particular, no matter the redirection and positive reinforcement, whose behavior waxed and waned with standing on a chair, sitting on the counter top, taking a stool he was redirected to and tapping it on his head, humming and repeating the word "Minecraft" over and over again so loudly that both the in-person class and virtual classmates were unable to hear directions); not feeling hungry to eat my lunch, so I was able to touch base with my morning class teachers to switch it to three back-to-back classes in the afternoon; speaking with my principal to ask for assistance/advice with this child who I had tried multiple bags of tricks with and was worried about the new sub coming in in the afternoon and how his behavior would likely continue and his response being a simple shrug and telling me to look at the antecedent, behavior, and consequence to work through the child's insubordination and laughing lightly, assuring me with a response of: "Isn't this all to be expected? It's tough times right now, I am sure. This is just reality, right?"), going home with a blasted head ache, (Oops, maybe I needed to get that out of my system?), etc., I will, instead, focus on the Silver Lining of my COVID-19 impromptu first "voluntold" subbing experience of the year.
1.) The afternoon teacher (20+ year veteran) mentioning she was about to have a nervous breakdown due to behaviors of the children and stress of running asynchronous online and in-person classrooms and the mentioning of the school psych, who helped "save" her (who I also utilized at the very end of my teaching shift as a second set of hands for the boy I had tried everything with over the first 3 1/2 hours of the day within my 17+ years in education, 14 of them in my own classroom), while trying to teach 16+ children in-person and 5 online kiddos), knowing to not take my negative teaching experience today personally as I, too, was at the verge of tears after a trying morning I powered through and focused on praising the children who modeled exceptional behavior, while successfully trying to engage my virtual crowd in between. Though this may be a bit negative, not wishing today's experience on anyone, knowing I am not the "only one" felt like a blessing. I, too, am thankful for my Pupil Services team member, who was there for me when I needed her today.
2.) Amid the chaos, a child gave me a picture she colored for me after she got all her work done early and I gave permission for her to write in her morning journal as her classmates. She ironically made me smile with a picture of a sloth, hanging peacefully in a tree.🤣 This sweet girl also assisted with a few of the routines that were not explained on any of the post-its. Such a blessing! (Already pinned up on my wall by my desk, so I will see it first thing in the morning!)
3.) A child I complimented on his very colorful shirt, responding, "Oh, this is a Chucky costume I have for Halloween. I have the pants and other costume pieces at home." (Very well! (chuckling behind my mask after what likely started out as a confused, then look of horror all I could rather hapharzardly hide with my mouth fully covered... as I ask myself "And why WOULDN'T we send our second grader to school in a Chucky costume?" with a slightly nervous inner-chuckle.))
3.) The child who was misbehaving all morning, (and for the sub to follow me) offering to plug in the iPad from the virtual student broadcast and giving me multiple hugs to very end the day (I gave up and let him, with the rest sending me good byes and virtual hugs) as I returned to the classroom on my own terms to help the school psych and afternoon sub get the class out the door in time at the end of the day.
4.) A child asking, at the very end of the day, if he could quick take off his mask because he wanted to show me something, giving himself permission before I could respond, only to take off his mask briefly to explain he wanted to just show me his smile.
toothy smile from ear-to-ear with a mask proudly pulled down for a nano-second.)
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