Dear Team 6-Remote families,
I wanted to share with you a bit of humor as well as a more personal message than my usual logistics messages. First of all, here is a photographic metaphor for teaching in this bizarre virtual environment:
This is my laptop, showing hot melted wax dripping down the screen! 🤣 I think this picture says it all! (They wanted a closer look at the burning candle.)
On a more serious note, I want to sincerely thank you for your patience (even if you haven’t always FELT it). We were trained to be teachers of our subject areas. At no point in our training were we trained to teach effectively through a tiny camera to kids we’ve never actually met. Not only has this already been a monumental logistical challenge, but for me personally, it’s been an enormous emotional one. I am used to being fun and funny with my students. I like to be sarcastic and snarky and silly, which in person comes across as loving and, for middle school students, sort of nerdy and funny. I love a high-energy math or science class with activity and conversation driving the pace. I really miss that banter. Through the tiny camera, with your kids whom I’ve never met in person, it’s hard to know if they FEEL a connection. I’m having to be very careful and cautious. The delay with mute and unmute makes it a bit awkward,.and it takes a much longer time remotely. But that connection is so important. It is not natural for me and is exhausting. But we are getting there! You have LOVELY children who have been kind, patient, sweet, and interested in what we are doing. They are keeping me going and keep me motivated to bring my A-game every day (which some days FEELS like my B or C-game). They have helped solve many of the technology problems for me!
Please know that I am truly doing my very best. I am typically working from 8am-to least 11pm, often missing meals to keep working. I’m NOT complaining here - just sharing the reality. Each day is a tiny bit easier, so there is light at the end of the tunnel. My 7th grader misses her mom! I share my own reality knowing that each and every one of you is dealing with your own challenging reality. A worldwide pandemic was certainly never on my radar before last February. Yet here we are!
In closing, I just want to say that more importantly than anything we teach our kids this year in our individual subject areas, the most important lesson we will be teaching them is how to deal with adversity. Do we crumble and fall apart and hide, or do we get up and get creative? Every day seems to bring new and unexpected challenges - but we’re laughing and we’re learning. We are forming relationships. We are learning perseverance. We are learning patience (not my strong suit). And we are learning cool science and math. If at any point you have any thoughts or questions, just shoot me an email. Stay strong, stay healthy, and stay positive. How we respond to this is how our children will respond.
Thank as always,
Sue Bingham
Before you go...
Here is another video from last spring that went viral on Twitter and other social channels. Don't be fooled by this teacher's pleasant disposition. Her lyrics speak for all of us!
