Dear Educator Friends and Colleagues, We at Teaching Preschool Partners have been thinking of all of you, your students and families over the course of the unfolding pandemic and wishing you lots and lots of grace! The cancelling of schools, loss of jobs, loss of mobility, social connections, financial strain and the fears of loved ones or yourself getting sick are a huge weight to feel for any one person, and those worries are compounded by all of those across the planet experiencing the same rollercoaster of experiences and emotions.
This is a huge global event and it is so important to feel the weight of that in whatever way you need to. We have imagined that many of you are worried about your students and families and how they are navigating this time and we want to thank you for thinking of them and sending them your compassion!
We encourage you to take care of yourself and do what it is you need to do first. Are you giving yourself mental health breaks throughout your day? Are you taking walks, reading an escape novel, binge watching a favorite show, cooking a favorite meal, maybe even taking a nap? Give yourself permission to do what it is you need to do right now.
Also, we highly recommend a visit to Brene Brown’s Blog. Her first post after quarantine measures is about collective vulnerability and she directly addresses teachers and parents. She writes…
“Boredom is sacred. We shouldn’t deny our children this holy experience.”
Times of great change or uncertainty provide an opportunity to check in with yourself. What are you noticing is happening with the people right around you in your own space or what is capturing your attention as you see images and read stories of the outside world? What are you thinking about? What are you wondering about your students and families; what are you wondering about school? Have you tried to connect with your students? Or have you not? Either way is okay. You are enough! Do not feel pressure to reach out to your families according to some ideal vision of what a good teacher “should” do.
Do what you need to do.
We all have different experiences in our own home life and, for many, just figuring out our own personal life experiences right now can take all the energy we have. If you have reached out to your students and families what did you do? What sort of response did you receive? What are families and children needing right now?
We invite those of you that want to reach out and connect@teachingpreschoolpartners.org
We’d love to hear from you and help you check in with one another! Sending our love and healing thoughts to all of you!