First of all…hi! Sorry I’ve been away for a bit, there’s been a lot going on.
2021 has started as a year that feels like the light at the end of the tunnel (sort of). 2020 was a chaotic, stressful mess, and already there are signs that things might actually start to get better. For starters:
- The United States has a new President, y’all! And one who isn’t a man-child trying to stay in power by breaking all of the laws and being a regular embarrassment to the world. Sorry, I know that’s a little political and I generally try to avoid that subject, but…whew, what a relief.
- Vaccines are getting rolled out! The system is currently a mess, but there are indications that the new administration is planning a massive rollout of vaccines. My wife, who is diabetic and asthmatic and seriously at risk, has already gotten her first dose! Which feels like a breath of fresh air.
And, honestly, those are the two main sources of positive energy that I’m feeding off of right now. Teaching in the pandemic is getting harder than ever, as educators are expected to take on more students in the classroom even as case numbers continue to go up and most teachers have not yet been vaccinated (myself included). On top of that, students are (rightfully) getting very disillusioned with education, and it’s been a real struggle to get students to attend virtual classes or complete asynchronous work. So many of them have outside jobs or are dealing with major mental health issues that make them see their education as something secondary and unimportant.
So…things are gonna take some time. 2021 has already kicked off with a few positive things, and there’s the possibility of things getting better. We will have many struggles ahead, but I’m hopeful!
I’ll try to have some more proper posts in the future, but just wanted to check in and say hello!
Jacob Ryckman 