Teaching During and After a Pandemic: How We Ran a Marathon We Didn’t Sign Up For

We are running a marathon that we didn’t sign up for! WHAT??? WHO does that???? In February 2020 teachers may have been enjoying careers in which they had invested years, been starting new careers with wide eyed excitement, or somewhere in between. When schools closed in March of 2020 and moved to virtual platforms, teachers rushed to find solutions. That is what we do. The speed at which teachers found solutions, strategies, and technology to create virtual learning opportunities was incredible and nothing short of a miracle! We ran a sprint, only to find out that we were actually in a MARATHON.

Think about it. A marathon is something you prepare for. You register. You plan your training a year in advance. You then train, train, and train some more. You pick up your packet and number. You plan your nutrition, sleep, hydration, stretching, and stride for the big race. Then race day arrives, you run the race, you cross the finish line and you have achieved your goal.

My friends, we did not choose to sign up for this marathon of teaching during a pandemic. We were thrown into it with no running shoes and didn’t even know it was a race. We have grabbed shoes along the way but we have yet to see where the finish line is. It does not appear that the finish line will end where we started, but may actually deposit us in a different spot.

Focusing on Today

Marathon runners insist that mindset is the most crucial element to completing a race. Runners MUST discipline their minds to focus on one kilometer at a time. Teaching during a pandemic is much the same. There are days we can’t fathom how we will continue to do this. We’ve all likely felt this at some point, or often, during the past two years. In order to survive as teachers, we MUST discipline our minds to focus on one day at a time. We, of course, need to consider the long-term steps to rebuild our programs, but if we are to survive the daily grind we must choose to focus on what we can control instead of the parameters beyond our control.

• We can chose to focus on:
• Teaching the students in front of us.
• Meeting students where they actually are, not where we want them to be.
• How we teach the students in front of us.
• Our attitude about our new and unique teaching situations, that may never go back to pre-race conditions.
• Our media intake.
• The people we surround ourselves with.
• Work/life boundaries.
• Taking care of all aspects of our health.

Stop and remember WHY you went into teaching. The “why” is our good news and driving purpose! We are teachers who love and care for students and we have the privilege of opening the world of music to them. We are leaders and role models and we are teaching our students perseverance through this difficult time and how to adapt to change with a positive attitude. The current and future student, teacher, classroom, and school will look different but we must adapt and adjust to new parameters.

Tips to persevere:

• Don’t compare yourself or your students to others. Each district is in a unique situation.
• Adjust musical and technical expectations to create success.
• Make a new plan, and move ahead. Repeat.
• Give yourself and your students grace.
• Adjust your time invested if needed. What can you realistically accomplish during the school day?
• Let some things go. Reevaluate priorities in our new normal.
• Remember your why; the why is our good news and our driving purpose.

The theme I’ve witnessed around the country this year is that teachers need each other right now! Find a teaching colleague and confidant who understands. Reach out to others to offer encouragement and perspective! Don’t let others struggle alone. In a conversation with a seasoned board member, he reminded me that this is not the first time that our schools and teachers had to endure hardships. He reminded me of other times schools had to withstand disease, disaster, and police at board meetings. His hope and optimism was undeterred! “We will get through this,” he said, with assurance that can only come through the wisdom of experience.

May you be refreshed and ready to continue teaching the students in front of you this school year. May you make a difference one day at a time because teachers are needed more now than ever before!