In the process of slowing down, it is infinitely simpler and easier to notice the beauty around me. The grey rainy skies blend into the rooftops and bare-branched honey locust trees in my backyard, afterlight echoing a hollowing, a sense of endings and beginnings shifting in and out of each other.
I found these words in music as I journaled on one of these winter mornings, finding myself instinctively guided to listening, shaping, shirting, and creating how I am feeling in this present moment.
I hope you pause a moment, look around, and see what speaks to you, too. Creating found poetry is simple, calming, and creative.
Jennifer Wolfe, a writer-teacher-mom, is dedicated to finding the extraordinary in the ordinary moments of life by thinking deeply, loving fiercely, and teaching audaciously. Jennifer is a Google Certified Educator, Hyperdoc fanatic, and a voracious reader. Read her stories on her blog, mamawolfe, and grab free copies of her teaching and parenting resources.
I left that teaching job because the teachers – including me – were not all right. We were overwhelmed, overworked, under-compensated, and misunderstood, attempting to keep education going in a time when everything else was standing still, when workers were being pushed to the limits everywhere and families struggled to figure out how to keep it all together. Teachers went from being ‘heroes’ in March 2020 after moving from in-person to remote learning basically overnight, to scapegoats for all the stress and disruption kids were experiencing. We were in families living rooms, at their kitchen tables, and, judging from my experience, often left wondering what was really happening behind those black Zoom boxes we taught to.
Sadly, since leaving that teaching job, not much has improved for teachers. In fact, it’s gotten much, much worse.
The media doesn’t see what I see now – and they certainly don’t focus on what’s really happening. Districts aren’t reaching out with praise for educators, they’re not ‘pivoting’ towards innovation that might alleviate stress. In my current position supporting AVID programs in eight Northern California school districts, I see it loud and clear.
The teachers are NOT all right.
So let me take a moment to share what I DO see, and then let’s have educators share what it’s really like to be a teacher in October 2021:
I see OVERWHELM.
I see EXHAUSTION.
I see FEAR.
I see FRUSTRATION.
I see feelings of INADEQUACY.
I see RESIGNATION.
I see teachers leaving the profession they trained for, dreamed of, committed to, and are now wondering ‘What else can I do because I cannot do this one. more. day.”
Teachers are walking out of schools
Teachers are walking out of schools – not resigning with two weeks’ notice, not taking ‘mental health days’ – just leaving.
And teachers don’t quit easily. We’ve shouldered education on our backs for generations, quietly putting in the extra hours, the money out of our pockets, and sacrificing our ‘personal time’ to do what needs to be done.
Pre-pandemic I wrote about the misconception of ‘summers off’ – ask any “TK” (teacher’s kid) about the overtime worked during the school year grading papers during soccer practices or on the weekends, the after-school meetings/conferences/classroom cleaning/lesson prep/mental preoccupation we all battle with. Teachers are NOT quitters – far from it.
But this year, 99% of the teachers I talk to every single day have told me that this year, 2021, is THE HARDEST year of their careers. In June 2021 no one expected school would be struggling with COVID quarantine protocols, lack of subs, job vacancies, and the student challenges of ‘doing school’ again – to say we had an optimistic outlook is putting it mildly.
In October 2021, what is actually happening in education is:
multiple classrooms are without permanent teachers
A huge lack of support staff – bus drivers, cafeteria workers, yard duties – all the people that make school run smoothly and safely outside the classroom. Districts cannot hire people for these positions.
NO subsititutes, anywhere
teachers working on their preps to cover classes, or taking in extra students to compensate for the lack of staff
administrators, district office staff, counselors ‘teaching’ classes instead of doing their jobs
teachers attempting to teach kids who have missed learning for 18 months, leaving gaps that require extreme differentiation in overenrolled classes
schools striving to attend to students’ social and emotional needs in order to have a chance at implementing a rigorous curriculum this year
students who are suffering from the trauma of COVID, from inconsistency in systems and personnel, and a lack of time and support for teachers to learn, design and implement lessons to meet them where they are.
To be very clear – this is NOT the teachers’ fault. And yet, they are dealing with the brunt of it every single day.
Tragically, I’m seeing teachers apologize for not doing or being ‘enough’. Teachers make choices between their mental health and their students. Sick teachers feel unable to take adequate time off to heal because with no subs, the class coverage defaults to their colleagues and that’s unthinkable.
Teachers battle the same personal challenges as everyone else – parenting, divorce, physical and mental health issues. They’re being asked to plan, teach, assess and perform as normal pre-pandemic expectations, which were unsustainable then, and impossible now.
And they are LEAVING THE PROFESSION.
If this blog post alarms you, then I’ve done my job. We need to acknowledge what is going on, to stop beating up school districts and barraging board meetings with arguments about mask mandates, and we need to protect educators and kids from becoming sick and help them feel safe, happy, and productive in our schools.
We need to do what’s best for kids to be EDUCATED.
The teachers are NOT all right. The administrators are NOT all right.
And most importantly, the KIDS are NOT all right.
I challenge you to speak up, speak out, and share what’s really going on in education right now. Leave a comment and tell us what you see, or what you can do to make a difference.
This work isn’t going to be easy. But it’s going to be worth it.
Jennifer Wolfe, a writer-teacher-mom, is dedicated to finding the extraordinary in the ordinary moments of life by thinking deeply, loving fiercely, and teaching audaciously. Jennifer is a Google Certified Educator, Hyperdoc fanatic, and a voracious reader. Read her stories on her blog, mamawolfe, and grab free copies of her teaching and parenting resources.
Three months into my new job, I’ve made some discoveries about teacher and students and education – and myself. Now that I’m no longer in the classroom every day, I’ve had some space to think about the larger education community, and the impact the pandemic, remote learning, and now hybrid teaching have had on us.
I’m noticing a HUGE sense of exhaustion, regret, looking to the past and focusing on what “normally” happens that didn’t happen in the last fifteen months.
Educators are having trouble making themselves feel successful about education. It’s understandable – what we’ve been asked to do is unprecedented, undervalued and over the top of what any teaching contract outlines.
Educators – teachers, administrators, counselors, support staff – have all given everything they have to make this year come close to “normal”.
And, with the grind of “pivoting” their instruction, digitizing lessons and books and lab materials, engaging students hiding behind black Zoom boxes since March 2020, and now facing the ‘learning loss’ that will be documented for us thanks to standardized testing, educators are struggling.
So what do we do to support each other? To create a space of safety, community and acceptance for educators?
If you don’t know Katrina’s work, you’re in for a delightful experience. Katrina, a published author of several books, a mother and wife, and a believer in “celebrating the gift of each ordinary day” has brought clarity and thought-provoking writing to me. And in the March 16 post, I responded in the comments with this:
This year, I made space for my self. Amidst all the cramped physical and mental space of the shelter-in-place, I found the space to be still. To turn off the Zoom classes and stop grading papers, to make space to meditate, to watch the squirrels try their best to upend my birdfeeders, and to see my adult children strive to adapt to the changes in college, wedding plans, and living spaces. Through it all, my self has been given wings to try out – and the space to fly.
I didn’t respond not only because I wanted to read the book Katrina was offering. Rather, I wanted to be part of the magic I saw in her simple acknowledgement of what she HAD made, what brought her ordinary joy and beauty despite the tragedy exploding all around us.
And surprisingly, I won the book anyways.
Katrina writes of author Beth Kephart, who published a memoir titled “Wife/Daughter/Self: A Memoir In Essays”:
How do we become the people we are? How are we shaped by those we love, by those who hurt us, by those who see us more clearly than we see ourselves? How do we choose one path over another, releasing our grip on old dreams even as we’re compelled to envision new ones?
How do time, pain, love, and loss finally pare away all that isn’t needed, leaving behind the essence of a self, a truth, a way onward? Is it possible to write one’s way into understanding and acceptance, into healing, into faith that who we are and what we do is enough?
Being in community with Katrina and Beth makes me feel like making something is possible, even now when like so many educators, I’m feeling drained and depleted and need to mentally and physically coerce myself to my writing desk every morning. It’s not easy, putting aside the tumult of the world and allow for words to flow out, to go back through journals and posts and manuscript drafts to make sense of decades of thoughts about teaching and parenting. But that’s what I’m doing, inch by inch.
I’m trying to make something positive out of this year. Are you?
A few things I’ve made along the way:
I made videos for my students to say hello when we started remote learning in March 2020:
2. I made bread..lots and lots of bread:
3. I made vases of garden flowers to bring the outside in:
4. I made time for exploring:
5. I made yard decorations for graduating high school seniors:
6. I made extraordinary discoveries on my walks:
7. I made masks:
8. I made new teaching spaces:
9. I made a new way to do the first day of school:
10. I made surprising discoveries in new books:
11. I made opportunities for kids to collaborate and have fun online:
listen to the joy!
12. I made a trip to the beach to see my mom:
13. I made time for sunsets in favorite places:
14. I made Christmas memories:
15. I made a job change:
16. I made myself happy:
17. I made myself present:
18. I made a road trip to see my daughter…finally:
19. I made coffee…lots and lots of coffee:
20. I made promises to myself:
It turns out, the last year wasn’t a loss at all. I made more than I thought…and I’m feeling courageous about the future.
What about you? What have you made in the last year?
Jennifer Wolfe, a writer-teacher-mom, is dedicated to finding the extraordinary in the ordinary moments of life by thinking deeply, loving fiercely, and teaching audaciously. Jennifer is a Google Certified Educator, Hyperdoc fanatic, and a voracious reader. Read her stories on her blog, mamawolfe, and grab free copies of her teaching and parenting resources.
I’m not going to write an end of the year post about how awful 2020 was. I’m not going to tell you, either about how I had to dig deep (I did) to come out the other side of the year intact. In fact, I’m not going to talk about 2020 at all right now – except for all the AMAZING books I read!
I learned to love my Kindle and free ebooks from the local public library. I also learned I really, really like people who like books (you know who you are!).
And according to my website statistics, lots of people who read jenniferwolfe.net liked books in 2020, and also like lists of books and book recommendations!
In 2020 I surpassed my Goodreads goal of 70, and wound up reading 76 – unless I finish The Silent Patient tonight, then it’ll be 77 (I’m also reading and loving A Promised Land, but there’s no way I can finish it tonight – it’s awesome, but I NEVER stay up till midnight)! This year I read lots of historical fiction and memoir, as well as some powerful non-fiction, young adult fiction, anti-racist books and works by inspirational new writers.
One more thing about 2020- I really committed to abandoning books that didn’t catch my attention in the first 1/3. I’ve had that creepy realization that there actually ARE a finite number of books I can read in my lifetime, and I’m not going to waste one more minute on a book I don’t love – or at least, like very strongly.
So, the books below are ones I actually liked/loved enough to finish! And the 17 BOLD titles with ** are my 5-star MUST READS! I hope you make it to the bottom of the post – there were some FABULOUS titles pre-COVID!
Also – if you DO make it to the end of this post, I’ve listed some of my FAVORITE picture books that I use as read alouds to my 7th graders! And if this list of books in 2020 isn’t enough, be sure to check my 2019 and 2018 lists, too!
so 2020, right?
DECEMBER 2020:
Normal People by Sally Rooney
The Night Tiger b Yangsze Choo
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins**
The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell
This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger **
NOVEMBER 2020:
Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy, #2) by Deborah Harkness
Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
Searching for Sylvie Lee by Jean Kwok
A Discovery of Witches (All Souls Trilogy #1) by Deborah Harkness
OCTOBER 2020:
The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate
Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park
Something Worth Doing by Jane Kirkpatrick
The Hard Way Home (The Star and the Shamrock Book 3) by Jean Grainger
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt**
SEPTEMBER 2020:
I ordered this book from a used book seller – imagine my surprise when it arrived, gently illustrated by a kindred spirit!
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett**
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
Blue Horses by Mary Oliver**
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
The Emerald Horizon (The Star and the Shamrock#2)
Born A Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
The Star and the Shamrock by Jean Grainger
AUGUST 2020:
This title is EXCELLENT for teachers during virtual teaching and learning times!
Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay
A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum
Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love by Dani Shapiro
The Gown by Jennifer Robson
Conjure Women by Afia Atakora
The Distance Learning Playbook by Douglas Fisher**
Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult
The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates**
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo**
The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys
JULY 2020:
Blended Learning in Action by Catlin Tucker**
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds**
Save Me The Plums: My Gourmet Memoir by Ruth Reichl
The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne**
What I Know For Sure by Oprah Winfrey**
Heads of the Colored People by Nafissa Thomson-Spires
On Agate Hill by Lee Smith
Across the Winding River by Aimie K. Runyan
The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant
JUNE 2020:
Golden Poppies by Laila Ibrahim
Mustard Seed by Laila Ibrahim
Yellow Crocus by Laila Ibrahim
Opium and Absinthe by Lydia Kang
MAY 2020:
What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon
Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon
The Paris Hours by Alex George
A Fire Sparkling by Julianne MacLean
The Universe Has Your Back: Transform Fear to Faith by Gabrielle Bernstein
The Other Wife by Claire McGowan
The Ragged Edge of Night by Olivia Hawker
APRIL 2020:
Inside Out by Demi Moore
One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow by Olivia Hawker
Between Breaths: A Memoir of Panic and Addiction by Elizabeth Vargas
The Parisians by Marius Gabriel
When We Believed in Mermaids by Barbara O’Neal
Miss Mary’s Daughter by Diney Costeloe
MARCH 2020:
Verity by Colleen Hoover
Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown**
A Pledge of Silence by Flora J. Solomon
The Dressmaker’s Gift by Fion Valpy
The Path Made Clear by Oprah Winfrey
This Terrible Beauty by Katrin Schumann
The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott
The Widow’s War by Sally Gunning
The Third Angel by Alice Hoffman
MARCH, pre-COVID
Sea of Memories by Fiona Valpy
I had just purchased these for my classroom library the week we shut down in March 🙁
FEBRUARY 2020 pre-COVID
The Outer Banks House by Diann Ducharme
The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman**
A View Across the Rooftops by Suzanne Kelman**
JANUARY 2020 pre-COVID
This book…so strangely beautiful. Thank you, Lisa Highfill!
With the Fire On High by Elizabeth Acevedo**
How To Catch A Mole: And Find Yourself In Nature by Marc Hamer**
The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks
PICTURE BOOKS: MY FAVORITES
I read aloud to my 7th graders every single day during 2020 – I didn’t count these in my yearly total, but they are worth mentioning:
La Princesa and the Pea by Susan Middleton Elyr
Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson
The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson
Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard
All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold
Come With Me by Holly McGhee
Hey, Little Ant by Phillip Hoose
Swashby and the Sea by Beth Ferry
We Are All Wonders by R.J. Palacio
Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell
You Hold Me Up by Monique Gray Smith
Woke Baby by Mahogany L. Browne
Antiracist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi
When Aidan Became A Brother by Kyle Lukoff
Tomorrow Most Likely by Dave Eggers
Small World by Ishta Mercurio
Bilal Cooks Daal by Aisha Saeed
Max Attacks by Kathi Appelt
I’m Worried by Michael Ian Black
Mommy’s Khimar by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
Introducing Teddy by Jess Walton
Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry
Gargantua by Kevin Sylvester
Mali Under the Night Sky by Youme Landowne
The Whispering Cloth by Pegi Deitz Shea
My Beautiful Birds by Suzanne Del Rizzo
Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal
Add these titles to your bookshelves!
You made it! Now, please tell me what were YOUR favorite books in 2020? Any of these?
Jennifer Wolfe, a writer-teacher-mom, is dedicated to finding the extraordinary in the ordinary moments of life by thinking deeply, loving fiercely, and teaching audaciously. Jennifer is a Google Certified Educator, Hyperdoc fanatic, and a voracious reader. Read her stories on her blog, mamawolfe, and grab free copies of her teaching and parenting resources.
Fall CUE 20 is around the corner – are you going? If not, why not? It’s VIRTUAL this year, and you don’t even need to leave your couch!
This year I’m mashing up two of my favorite teaching topics – HyperDocs and SEL – with two of my favorite educators – Nicole Beardsley and Sarah Landis – and we’ve got 60 minutes of ways to connect hearts and minds!
Here’s a Fall CUE 20 session teaser:
Are you looking for authentic, relevant ways to integrate Social Emotional Learning into your curriculum? Do you want to create meaningful lessons to connect the hearts and minds of your students? Have you built HyperDocs? This session will help you increase academic achievement, improve student engagement, and build SEL into your classroom using HyperDocs! Using CASEL’s five core competencies we will explore, explain, and apply SEL using technology tools – and your students will see huge results!
Participants will design HyperDocs using templates and exemplars to build an understanding of and commitment to Social and Emotional Learning in their students.
Participants will explore their understanding of CASEL’s five core competencies, their impact on and importance to students, and apply them to building lessons using educational technology tools to increase academic achievement and improve student engagement.
– Don’t miss this session on Saturday from 11-12 – sign up at http://cue.org NOW!
Looking for inspiration?
To begin, this session at Fall CUE 20 will have TONS of free HyperDoc resources and ideas to engage students and build relationships! One of my favorites is this All Are Welcome lesson to help my students understand the concept of empathy. Also, students will connect with each other in a low-risk environment, and build narrative writing skills. You can make your own copy of this All Are Welcome Hyperdoc. Just remember to add in your own links to slides and the Padlet to personalize your copy.
Finally, you’ll feel GREAT after exploring resources to help you build more social and emotional connections in your teaching space!
Hope to see you this weekend at Fall CUE 20 – and remember, I’ll always share resources for FREE here on jenniferwolfe.net. And if you want to explore more about HyperDocs, check out the website hyperdocs.co!
Jennifer Wolfe, a writer-teacher-mom, is dedicated to finding the extraordinary in the ordinary moments of life by thinking deeply, loving fiercely, and teaching audaciously. Jennifer is a Google Certified Educator, Hyperdoc fanatic, and a voracious reader. Read her stories on her blog, mamawolfe, and grab free copies of her teaching and parenting resources.
