It took me quite a while this year to become used to the new school where I teach. It especially took me a long time to become comfortable with the lessons that I was planning--I know what I need to teach and how, but so many other things factor into teaching (schedules, student levels, materials available, etc.) that it's not always a given that just because you know what you need to be doing, the circumstances will provide you with the ability to do that. It took a while to get used to having no textbooks. It took a while to having only three hours a week to (supposedly) teach students what they need to be learning--both according to the state standards and the knowledge of what they'll need in their futures.
But I was finally there, and we were almost at the end of the year. And just when I thought that things were going to be smooth sailing until the summer break, the school closed and I had to turn to finishing the year online.
All of my class plans for the rest of the year, gone. All of the assignments that would have worked great in class now wouldn't work nearly as well online. I would no longer be able to explain anything to an entire class, as our classes must be asynchronous per district orders. So we can't read an article and then discuss it in groups--or even in a big group.
In short, most of the work that I had done over the last six months and all of the plans that I had made to finish things up well and strongly were now irrelevant. I had to come up with a completely new plan of action, with new assignments and new materials.
And as far as everything is concerned, the main question that I have to ask about all this is simple: so what?
So what if I had to make a lot of changes? Life sometimes throws you curveballs, and you can either stand there and complain about how unfair it is that the pitcher can throw a curve, or you can buckle down and do your best to hit that curve.
Yes, I have to do more and different work than I was supposed to have to do to earn my salary, but I'm not having to deal with many of the other tragedies that thousands of other people are dealing with. And I do have a job--I haven't lost my salary.
Yes, I do miss seeing my students and I would rather not be locked in, unable to have significant contact with my colleagues and my students and my friends. But if I'm going to live these days fully, I'm not going to be focused on what I'm missing, but on what I have--safe shelter in a comfortable home, food on the table, almost unlimited entertainment, and the ability to do my work safely from home over the Internet, among many, many other blessings.
Life sometimes throws us completely new situations that we hadn't planned for and that we know nothing about. When that happens, it's important that we be adaptable and that we be able to let go of all that we had planned in order to face the new realities that life has provided us with. And when my trip back east or my summer break or all the work I had done getting ready for the end of the year are all made impossible or useless, the only response that makes sense if I want to be happy in life is simply, "Oh, well." There is absolutely nothing I can do to change these things, so I might as well accept them and make the best of my new situation.
Life in the Army was much like this--we had no idea sometimes what tomorrow would bring. We often finished jobs only to find out immediately that we were tasked to do something else, too. Our expected down time just didn't happen.
And we expected it because in the Army, we were bound to follow orders. We didn't have a choice unless we wanted to face rather severe punishment.
In my life right now, my punishment for not accepting my current situation and making the best of it is quite simple: I'd make myself miserable by feeling resentment for my loss of anger for all the new work I have to do.
I'd rather not be miserable. So I just do the work, and I recognize and accept that much of the time I spent planning for the last couple of months now has turned out to be somewhat wasted time--and that's okay. I was exercising my abilities to create classes and meet standards and engage students and help them learn. I may be able to use the plans later, even.
When there's nothing that I can do about the way things are, I have to simply accept the way things are--that is, if I want to have a chance to be happy. Of course, if I'm okay being miserable, I don't have to accept anything at all, do I? But if I don't want to be miserable for the next four weeks of school before school is over for the year, then I need to simply do the job as it needs to be done, following the new rules and fulfilling the new set of needs.
Because life will go on the way it's going, with me or without me making the best of it. If I'm unhappy and stressed and frustrated and annoyed, life will still go on.
I'd rather it go on with me being at ease, accepting, appreciative, grateful, and learning new things by meeting the new demands.
Which way would you rather have your next few weeks, months, or even years be for you? Remember, it more often than not is your choice!
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