Our 1st day of school ended at 1:30 pm.
So, after three hours, I texted my student's families to ask how we were feeling after the first day.
I got some responses about kids being asleep, and the first time they've taken a nap in a while. I got responses of good, and thank you. That felt good. It felt good to know that people noticed how hard I worked to prepare for today. And if they felt inclined to say it was a good day, or thank me for the day, that means that I did something right.
I did enough for them to acknowledge my effort.
But then I got the text that really made me feel... great! I GOT A GREAT.
We feel GREAT !!!!
All the planning and hard work is going to pay off!!! Thank you, SO MUCH for the compliment!
I am glad we're feeling GREAT and excited!
I will TAKE excited: That was my goal for the day, for the kids to be excited. Excited makes us forget the pandemic, and how this is not normal. Excited makes the strange things we're living through, vanish!
Well, you're a magician to us. We also had a dance party at lunch. Why not? :)
The pandemic is heavy.
New favorite metaphor:
Think of us all as little people bobbing along ocean. And we have our ups and downs the top of waves in the bottom, and sometimes like there’s waves and sometimes there’s not. And then think of the pandemic and the state of our country as atmospheric pressure that's just pushing down on you so all you do is sleep and feel depressed.
Ya know what doesn't exist during dance parties?
Heaviness.
Pressure.
That's the magic of today: the first day of school. School has the ability to EXCITE you.
Learning is the MOST EXCITING THING WE DO!
School didn't feel heavy, or full of pressure, or scary today because we got to be together.
School is togetherness. School is exciting. School is lunch dance parties.
Happy First Day!
