Yesterday I went out and I bought a lot of clothes. Today I bought more. I haven’t been to a store to buy clothes since January 2020 (prior to the shutdown on March 13, 2020), and with various transitions remotely since then, I didn’t worry about my wardrobe. All anyone was seeing was my top anyway. As I was later chatting with some friends about these purchases, I said, “I think that I decided to finally go clothes shopping as this is something that I can control right now.”
I want to go and buy school supplies. Yes, my teaching partner, Paula, and I ordered some in June, but I always anticipate that I will be buying some things for the classroom. The problem is, I don’t know what to buy yet. I know that our government has come up with a back-to-school plan, but now our Board has to interpret this guidance and create their own plan. I can only imagine how much time this takes, and I appreciate the safety considerations and additional precautions that the Board is considering. Waiting though is hard.
I know that Paula and I can always choose to put in desks and tables again and create assigned areas for kids, but will we do so if these restrictions are not required? What is the best option for kids at this age, and how do we weigh safety with developmentally appropriate pedagogy?
Board guidance will help us determine if we need …
- pencil cases and clipboards for each child,
- buckets for every student,
- and individual containers of sensory materials.
I love back-to-school shopping and I’m eager to go and sift through school supplies, but I also know that there are decisions that we have to make first. Communication from the Board will determine some of these decisions. For now, I wait.
- I buy clothes.
- I attempt to read some more books … even though my mind right now has a habit of wandering back to school.
- I blog to make sense of my thoughts,
- and I try to balance my desire to enjoy the rest of the summer with my need to start thinking more about school.
What are you doing as the days in August creep to an end? If anyone has advice on how to hold the classroom thoughts at bay, I will happily take it. I’ve come to realize that I do much better working with the known — no matter what that might be — versus the uncertainty that comes with the unknown. When there are too many unknowns, I cling to whatever little bit of known that I can; hence the clothes shopping. Now my closet is full. Here’s to hoping that the classroom comes next. 🙂
Aviva