MSLA President Laura Luker is the Library Teacher at Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School in Hadley, MA.
As I write this, I am looking out my window onto a snowy and frigid landscape, longing for warmer weather and the ability to be outside more often. When the pandemic began last spring, I remember thinking to myself “thank goodness we’re not dealing with this in the depths of winter!” At that point, no one would have ever guessed how long it would last and how deeply we’d be affected. However, now that we are in fact dealing with it in the depths of winter I find myself admiring the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity. I think it’s helpful to sit back and take stock of two things: first, that we have persevered so well and second, that we have come so far already.
We have persevered with ingenuity. When thrown without warning into an unheard of situation, we paused for a second, took stock of the new normal, and then went on full speed ahead. Whether it was learning to be more effective at teaching virtually, figuring out how to create effective and safe programs in a hybrid setting, or planning virtual events for the first time, we did what needed to be done. We kept the focus on creating learning opportunities for our communities. We forged ahead with new work. We found new ways of doing things - some of which are improvements upon the old ways of doing things.
And here is my other bright point - literally. We are seeing the light at the end of this tunnel. I find now that standing on the cusp of spring and looking back lends perspective. We have a vaccine in play and some sense of normalcy on the horizon. From that perspective looking back, March 2020 sometimes seems like yesterday. Just as we could not have imagined what we would be asked to do and for how long this would drag on, there are also now points when I feel like time is flying by me. (One of my late grandmother’s favorite sayings was always, “this too shall pass,” and I find that she was correct!) I would not say that living and teaching through a global pandemic has been a wonderful experience, but it has been life-changing. I have learned things I hope I never forget. Things such as how nice it is to be able to hug a friend, to sit down over a cup of coffee and catch up, to gather in groups and share our knowledge. Once this is over, I hope to do all of those things with all of you again.
And here is my other bright point - literally. We are seeing the light at the end of this tunnel. I find now that standing on the cusp of spring and looking back lends perspective. We have a vaccine in play and some sense of normalcy on the horizon. From that perspective looking back, March 2020 sometimes seems like yesterday. Just as we could not have imagined what we would be asked to do and for how long this would drag on, there are also now points when I feel like time is flying by me. (One of my late grandmother’s favorite sayings was always, “this too shall pass,” and I find that she was correct!) I would not say that living and teaching through a global pandemic has been a wonderful experience, but it has been life-changing. I have learned things I hope I never forget. Things such as how nice it is to be able to hug a friend, to sit down over a cup of coffee and catch up, to gather in groups and share our knowledge. Once this is over, I hope to do all of those things with all of you again.