Who knew we valued the school day so much? I walk past empty playgrounds and miss the sounds of screaming and laughing (as a school-based therapist for a time), I notice two lonely teachers eating their lunch at the benches… about 10 feet apart from one another. I make up the story that they’re electing to remote-teach from their classrooms for some sense of normalcy, but recognize that the lunch hour is… less stimulating, less inspiring, less comforting, than it used to be? Not just the kids are missing out on time with their buddies and feeling good, learning at school.
My empath imagines a lot, but after so much time spent collaborating with teachers, being married to an educator, and being the daughter of an educator who evolved her 20 + year old teaching skillset through the demands of COVID-19, the most recent stresses and pressures on our educators have not been lost on me. As a therapist, I want to support and prevent our teachers from burn out. I don’t know how helpful the recommendations are for getting up and stretching in between zoom classes… I wonder how the teachers of today are able to keep their watering cans full, so they can continue to water the growing minds of our communities…