Teachers, Thank You for Herding my Cats

After a couple of weeks of “distance learning,” I have to say that if before I admired teachers, now they also have my deepest sympathy.

I imagine that teaching little ones can be like herding cats at times. Well now, they herd cats through a computer… an impossible job. I wonder if they go outside to scream when they give the kids breaks.

I have my kids’ desk all prepped up behind mine, so if they do not need me I “work” and keep an eye through the computer reflection.

I cannot tell you the number of times that saint repeats the page number they are working on throughout the whole 30 minutes the class lasts or asks them to stop playing or mute their microphones. I guess that since kids are home, they are more prone to get distracted. But just listening to the class is stressful. I want to run away. Add to that, connection issues, and/or not being able to find the right workbook.

Some parents cannot be by their kids’ side the whole time.

At my daughter’s school, the teacher keeps repeating to the kids that all questions need to be directed to her and not parents. I appreciate it even though my daughter needs reminders (quite a few) that she shouldn’t eat or sleep while “in class,” needs to sit properly, and not goof around.

Trying to get kids “up to speed” and all “leveled” up is hard as it is, but the lack of personal engagement is torture. The kids that “got it” are bored to death waiting for the rest to get there. The teacher does not know them enough to know who needs to be kept busy while the rest catch up. The ones behind get frustrated because they feel rushed.

For some reason, I noticed my kids are “shier” on the computer than they would be in person. They don’t want to ask as many questions. Not sure if they feel exposed since they have to ask in front of everyone even though they feel not seen because they don’t get the talk and just share whatever it is in their minds.

Mission impossible.

It is an impossible job for teachers as well as for parents who have to supervise, assist, monitor, and do whatever they used to do before we were responsible for keeping our children on track.

To be honest I don’t know what the answer is, not sure there is the right one. They definitely deserve all the recognition we can give for their hard work and dedication, for not screaming all kinds of crazy stuff when they get frustrated and even I give them grace if they do lose your patience every once in a while (I probably should have been fired from teaching my kids, ha!)  All I know is that they got a crazy hard one, just as we did.

Good luck and keep up the good job and God bless you all.

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