Teaching - Trying to figure it out in a new world.

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I've never been as grateful for this image on my morning run as I was after the news was released that Michigan will not be re-opening the schools this academic year.  As a parent, it's going to be rough. I have an only child so her whole social world will, and has been me, for the last 3 weeks already.  Add in we just moved back to the US so a lot of her friends are still overseas makes this a bit harder. 
As a teacher, knowing my students are home and not sure how they're doing, except the ones who email me back, that is just as difficult.  Not knowing how to provide the right instruction to help them stay as successful as they've been this year is going to be difficult but we'll manage.  How do I know we'll manage?  We're teachers.  We walk into a classroom every day not knowing if our kids have eaten, slept much less gotten any work done.  We don't know who is getting abused at home or struggling to get electricity or internet so they can complete the work needed to pass their classes.  We never know what the day will bring but every day we walk in, ready to take on the day.  Every day the students know where they stand, who they can go to in order to get a granola bar or just a quiet place to regroup for the day.  Now what? How can I help them now? 
We have until August to show our students and our kids how to cope with something that is beyond anything we've ever encountered before.  So how do we do it?  To be honest, a lot of us aren't sure yet.  We're going to be doing the best we can between now and then in order to make it happen.  Do we need some understanding?  Yes.  Do we need support?  Yes.  Do we understand you also have the world coming down on your shoulders as a parent? New work from home person?  Yes.  We know all of these things and we'll do the best to balance it out. But we're not perfect, no one is.  So please help us and we'll do our best to help you.

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