We have just finalised our sixth week of Distance Learning due to CorVid-19. On Friday we had a PD day to consolidate, share ideas and ensure we are prepared to consistently move forward with uncertain timeframes for reopening.
I am fortunate to be in a truly remarkable grade level team led by an exceptional educator and made up of truly remarkable, hardworking and inspiring fellow educators. We kicked off our PD day with a great online meeting exploring how we can help children safely work with technology in this well and truly technology-saturated time of learning. We then simply allowed ourselves to be human and reflect on how we are actually going.
Oh my, this is such a challenging time for our educators.
Our meeting ended up going for about 2 hours and we simply discussed and talked about the struggle, the isolation, worries for our family in affected areas, we were honest, cried, and just allowed the reality of the situation to be the reality of the situation, without feeling the need to search for the silver linings. Sometimes that search for silver lining is just downright exhausting.
Oh, what a blessing it is to simply be sometimes, even if it is not a positive state.
I summarised our meeting of just being allowed to simply be with the following message to our team:
“I am very grateful to know that I am not alone and the only one feeling like a little ant trying to push a rock up a very steep hill … in a snow storm … at altitude.”
I am so very grateful for colleagues who have the wisdom to simply be present in whatever state that may be. The permission to simply be has done more my personal wellness than any wellbeing event.
Gratitude abounds.
Thoughts From Hanoi 
This is excellent L, a real glimpse into your meeting and the real emotions it must have stirred. Nice that we’re at least able to meet in the 2-D world! 🙂 “just allowed the reality of the situation to be the reality of the situation” – yes, for sure!
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