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From the light to the dark

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We’ve had a busy 2 days! Friday we had some time in Puerto Rico’s second largest city of Ponce. The students got to experience what a plaza in Spanish-speaking countries is all about: music, vendors and lots of people! That particular day there was a health fair! After spending time in the main part of the city, we headed up to the Castillo de Serralles. This “castle” was constructed in the 1930s and has been completely restored to its current museum state. Unfortunately we were able to take pictures inside, but we were able to take an almost full group picture from one of the balconies that has a spectacular view of the Caribbean Sea.  The castle wasn’t the highlight for the students this day though! This was also the night for the bioluminescent kayaking tour! If you are unfamiliar with this natural phenomenon, there are only 5 places in the world to experiences this; three of which are in Puerto Rico. Algae creates a glowing light at night that makes the water look like it’s glo...
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From San Juan to Salsa

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It’s been a whirlwind of excitement for the students and me! We started our Wednesday off with a tour of old San Juan. We walked a ton and learned about the various sites that the Spanish used to protect the island from invaders. The architecture was exquisite and the kids loved seeing all of the buildings with their vibrant colors! After our tour, we were able to have some much needed beach and pool time! After spending the day traveling the day before and a long, hot walk for our tour, it was nice to be able to relax and take a break.  Yesterday, we were able to do so much! We went from the only rain forest protected by the U.S. Forest Preserve, El Yunque. We learned about the devastation that the forest experienced after Hurricanes Irma and Maria and just how long it’s taken to restore the parts of the forest were lost. It was hopeful being able to see that parts that were completely wiped out were returning to their previous green states.  After the forest, we headed to Lu...
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We Made It

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Barely, but here we are! One year of hybrid teaching hell followed by a year of what should have been a normal year. It was everything but that. Teachers were juggling all the things…figuring out how to fill in the gaps, managing unruly student behavior, dealing with the lack of maturity due to lack of social interaction for kids from the last 2 years of craziness, and on top of that just going back to the daily grind that is teaching.  Back in January of 2021, I made the conscious decision to bring travel back to the Spanish classes at my new school. I needed something to look forward to, and I knew the students needed it too! I chose an itinerary to Puerto Rico. I’ve never been there and I figured it might be the easiest place to go to barring any COVID protocols. The activities that we are doing aren’t too jam packed into one day so that students (and I) can get some much needed relaxation, fun and time to step outside of our comfort zones.  Student travel has always been s...
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More than butterflies

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It's been nearly 3 months since the last time I blogged. This summer wasn't as restful as I intended it to be. I guess that's what happens when you and your husband decide to open a restaurant when it's probably one of the hardest times to find help.  The good thing about this was that I forced to completely step away from school.  And stay away from school I did. I didn't work in my classroom from June 2 until just this past week...3 days before our first in-service day. I rarely checked my email, and I didn't feel guilty about it.  Last year drained me--emotionally, mentally, and physically. I was just spent and still thought about changing careers.  The time came to start working in my classroom, and I just felt overwhelmed. I knew there was a lot that needed to be done...and to be honest it needed to be done last year, too, but when most of the students were remote, it was mainly for me and not for them.  I did a little cleaning and made posters. My room was...
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r.e.s.t.

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I feel like hibernating for a year. Seriously, this year has wiped me out and the past few months have been the most challenging. Students have lost motivation and teachers, myself included, are wearing down. My school has been doing a concurrent hybrid model where we teach both in-person and remote students at the same time. Until you've done this, you have no idea the amount of energy it drains you of. During a normal year, I'm tired at this point of the year, but the exhaustion I feel from trying to get students to respond to me is too much most days and we have a little more than a week left. The mental and physical toll this year has taken on me is one for the books. I struggle with knowing if I'm being clear with my students or if they are learning at home because I don't hear from most of my students online during a class period. Because I'm staring at a screen, my eyes are strained causing frequent headaches despite wearing blue light glasses. My body is sor...
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Lessons I've Learned While Teaching During a Pandemic

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It's been almost a year since we've experienced school in a normal fashion. It's crazy to think that teachers have been doing this for a year. A year of reinventing the wheel, a year of learning new technology, a year of teaching like we've never taught before. In that year, I've learned a lot about students, parents and how our society views the educational system. These lessons that I've learned may look different for some teachers, but I can assure you that there is some overlap. I've spent a lot of time talking to teachers in different parts of the country, so I know that there are things that we are all seeing. Lesson #1: Teachers are heroes until they're not. Last spring, the world turned upside down. (Go ahead and hum that Hamilton  lyric...you know you want to.) Teachers were given the highest level of praise with going above and beyond to reach out to students and their families. In my district, we were supposed to provide enrichment activities ...
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Tapped Out

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  When I started this blog in the fall, I really wanted it to be a place where I could process my feelings and thoughts about teaching during this very unusual year. I've found solace in knowing that there are other educators who are in the same place that I am. I come back after over a month of not blogging to say that I'm tapped out. I feel that every time I feel like I've got a handle on the situation that we are in, another email comes that says, "Well, we've got this coming at you in a few weeks." There are no details about what's to come, but that it's coming. As an overt planner and worrier, my mind instantly goes to thinking about what that "new" thing will look like and how will I handle it.  I want to stop hearing about what's to come and start hearing about here's our next plan of action.  I've never dealt with change well, and having changes throw at me every few weeks hasn't been the best of circumstance for me. I...
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