Around the Equator, there’s a 10-degree band where sailors take warning: the winds don’t blow and ships can’t sail, sometimes for weeks. Time passes slowly, cabin fever sets in, and at the same time, weather patterns can shift unpredictably.
The region called the Doldrums sounds remarkably like the third quarter, the hardest part of the year. Teachers often feel like they’re slogging their way to Spring Break.
- There’s so much curriculum left to cover
- We’re worried about kids who aren’t working hard enough
- We worry about kids who have other challenges or scary life situations
- We’re so tired, we need some sun, and stress reigns
- There doesn’t seem to be light at the end of the tunnel
This year is so different. But in conversations I have had and meetings I have attended this past week, the mood felt like the 3rd Quarter Doldrums.
- Concerns about curriculum. We’ve got a grip now on the technology, but we’re still juggling content: How much is too much? How deep should we go? When is the advice to simplify, too simple?
- Kids are behind. Will they be ready for the next level up? How do we determine “effort?” How can we document participation? How in the world can we figure out grades and be fair?
- We still haven’t connected with some of our kids. Do they have connectivity? Are they still in town? Are they alone? Are they safe?
- The pace is different, but it’s exhausting, still. Prepping online lessons takes twice as long as we’re used to. Many of us have small children and we’re suddenly teachers for them, too.
- When we will reach the end? Have we done it right? What have we learned? What if this is a new reality?
The doldrums. A lot of us are there. Not everybody, but enough of us that I’ve noticed.
In my district, this was Week 5 (I’m counting Faux Spring Break and Spring Break as at least one week because most of us started working on eLearning then). So we have three weeks to go. Hey! That means we’re in the 3rd quarter! That makes sense, then, why we’re in the psychological doldrums.
So how are we going to get through to the end? Not to be a Pollyanna about this, but here are some ideas for making it through to the end.
- Just as our students thrive on talking to us and to each other, we need community, too. I didn’t realize it as acutely as I do now until I saw a colleague on a walk at Celery Bog one afternoon. I nearly burst into tears. The best I could do was outstretched arms from a six-foot distance. So if you haven’t already, set up a Google Meet with your best buddy colleagues. I know that meeting with individual teachers, the Principals’ Meets, and the Literacy Team at my high school has helped me tremendously to feel connected
- It’s not too late to set goals for the few weeks ahead.
- Books to read
- Films to watch
- Projects to complete
- An exercise regime to follow
- More closets and drawers to clean
- Try out a new technology. Your students—and you—know you’ve mastered what you’re doing already. Now try one new thing. No one will be impatient. They’ll be supportive and the kids will enjoy the variety.
- Go outside every day. Even if it’s raining. Just stand under a tree and breathe.
- And look for the humor in all this:
- So many memes now about dogs exhausted from walking
- Sanitation workers not being able to pick up all the discards from people cleaning up their homes and cleaning out their garages
- The funny things your kids say
- Your strange outfits for Google Meets (i.e., the pajamas on the bottom)
- The fact that everyone in America needs a haircut
Three weeks to go! You’ve got this! The wind will blow and you’ll be out of the doldrums before you know it!
#Red4Ed
In an American Classroom 