October Relief

I've been curious about whether or not October is a magic month for all grades and not just kindergarten, and this week, I got my answer.  

Hallelujah, yes.

The near manic excitement, panic, and confusion expressed by kiddos in August and September have given way to calmer, cooler, and more confident behaviors, thanks to teachers, staff, and families.  As I spend more and more time teaching and sharing with students grades K-6, they're laughing, joking, articulating their need for help, and are dropping their defensiveness as we work together to fine-tune expectations in our shared space.  In all my years of teaching kindergarten, October was the magic month when students had internalized our schedule, learning routine, and expectations, and had adopted each other as family.  It's a relief to discover that it's the same for the other grades.  The investments of time, patience, and practice bring us all to a comfortable hum.

I remember when some version of the phrase "You can cut the tension in the room with a knife" was used only occasionally to describe shared settings or events, but let me tell you, it might as well have been the theme for the past year and a half.  Self-care has been a bandaid rather than a cure for many educators and for teachers, it has been doubly hard seeing our students and families flailing alongside our own.  Feeling stalled in stress for so long, being able to see and feel the change in students and colleagues, with authentically kind and humorous behaviors and genuinely relaxed interactions filling our hallways has been such a relief this month. We're getting settled during an incredibly unsettling time.  I hope friends and colleagues in other districts and states are rapidly approaching this state.  Drowning in adrenaline and grief is no way to teach or live.

Returning students and staff are getting used to seeing me much more often now that I'm the centrally located librarian instead of a kindergarten teacher housed at the far end of the building, and new students and staff are developing a nice familiarity with me too.  I'm continuing to learn about how my role as a school librarian can and should result in advocacy and effective support for all learners (more on that in my next blog post), and...

I look forward to going to work. 

Oh, what a relief it is.

*****

Bonus points for you, dear reader, if you sang that last sentence like this: