mary van milligen

Truly seeing and seizing the moment, I gleefully clicked the “end meeting for all” option at the end of 8th period on Wednesday.  If all the powers that be in our future remain calm, I completed my last Zoom and Room lesson.

Was it similar to the slight heartache and bittersweet feeling you possess when one of your favorite shows comes to its close?  No.  Even though it was an essential to stream series filled with a strong production crew, engagement, creativity, and intriguing content that in the end collected strong reviews from its audience and thank yous for its positivity, we all wish the network and the world never had to premiere it. It was what it was.

So, how can I truly describe this tiny moment for me as an educator of 20+ years instead?  It unveiled itself as a sparkle of glee, wrapped in relief, and peppered with freedom.  A needed goodbye to a tiny grip of discomfort that made itself a home in my heart since March of 2020.  I smiled behind my black and white striped mask, closed the laptop, and did a little celebratory dance in front of my Roomers as they waited for the bell to ring.

It was concrete closure- an unforgettable pause–one that I must put down on paper to review in the future. 

We, as a society, love to move on.  We have so many choices to ignore and absorb ourselves into trivial distractions, but if we continue that path of behavior, it will serve as more detriment to ourselves and our futures than ever before.

We, as educators, are getting through it, yes.  Amen.  Hallelujah.  But, I’m already seeing trends to normalize and move back to what was and not necessarily cultivating and reaping the good that always comes out of the bad.  

How do we come back to school in August?  We serve doses of compassion to all of our colleagues and students.  We consciously listen and recognize the past with patience and guidance as we extract the important traditions that should remain and the modifications we must begin to mold for our futures.

Please, let us not Zoom into our old ways without recognizing all the Room we need to reignite our spirits to create the much needed spaces for humanity and safety some of our colleagues and students may crave more than ever. Reflection is key.  Dust off the binoculars and really focus on what matters most for you and your students. If we establish an atmosphere of openness and vulnerability, we’ll all learn and begin to write the script of education that will never leave syndication.

And that just might make all of this worth it overall…