I'm tired...& we haven't met the students yet!

It is the first weeks of September and in less than a months time, our students come through the door for the scholastic year 2020/2021. We educators are already exhausted, worried, scared and so not ready for this year to begin. Why? Because frankly all there is in schools at the moment is commotion, chaos and above all fear of the unknown.

We are not talking about the Corona unknown, we are talking about the general & overall unknown factors. Educators have been stripped off from their resources and we are all in awe of it all. The lack of planning from the department was not necessary, especially NOW at this time, but this panic could have been designated easier throughout summer.

Whilst the guidelines have been submitted we all still feel at loss about the do's and don't of it all. Should I do this? Can I do that? In reality we as educators all talk to one another and we all get inspired from each other. As much as we encourage ourselves and others alike, we all deep down feel already exhausted with this new scholastic year. Now whether an individual is in favor of school openings or not, primarily everyone should give us educators some recognition for the unexpected hassles, sleepless nights and above all the worry of the longest haul in time.

Unfortunately this profession takes so much on our emotional well being that sometimes we forget about ourselves to simply make others feel safe, secure, happy and content while they are in our care. We make the world spin by through endless adventures and we make the professions who are now taking care of us. So why is there so much hate? The educators are tired because there is lack of appreciation, there is lack of gratefulness and above all we are being mis-understood. Schools are dealing with scenarios that have never been anticipated and educators are forking in all their efforts even at the cost of their own exhaustion.

Those who have never experienced our profession will criticize and judge our movements, but we have learnt to ignore and pity such maneuvers because actions speak louder than words. This time around it is a harder toll on us all because we have nothing to revert too. We have never experienced something of this caliber therefore we are overwhelmed and already feeling burnout.

How am I tackling it all? Now that I have finally managed to clear up the things in my classroom I feel somewhat more at peace with the whole shenanigans. Knowing that my personal belongings won't be effected, stolen or misplaced have put my mind at rest and the other whole lot of concerns I had prior to everything, are now somewhat settling in. It doesn't mean I'm comfortable with everything around me, but it means I'm finding new ways how to cope with my own question mark. Having someone to talk to within your same school and line of field is essential, so butting heads with colleagues is one way of putting the elephant in the room and shove it out of the way together.

Positive thoughts are still building up and now that the year is coming to a start very soon, my anxieties have shifted elsewhere. I know I am prepared for flexibility, I have always been, but this is new to us all and we although we are the professionals in our fields, we are not medically trained for what this pandemic can cause. We have no knowledge of the pandemic histories apart from the ones we read online and we were never taught about how to tackle such cases in an educational facility. There might have been trials, protocols and guidelines, but the real issues will be faced once we are in it. Once we start we will have our ooppss moments, our oh NOS, our infinite facepalms and above all our endless repetitions.

The walls are bare, the classrooms are empty, the walls are stripped and the benches are still. Nothing looks the same, nothing feel normal. BUT!!! One thing for sure is, that no matter how much we are going through now, and how much we feel so gloom, we all know that once those doors open we are the bravest ones of all, ready to fill the hearts with love, the brains with knowledge and the spirit in the souls. We haven't stopped and we will never do, because in reality, teaching is our virtue and we find pride and honor in what we do.