Let Go of the "Normal School Year"

Raise your hand if you’ve heard someone use the phrase “normal school year” this year. Now keep your hand in the air if you feel like this has actually been a “normal school year.” Yeah, I thought so.

I understand the temptation to toss around that phrase. Most students and teachers across the country have returned to buildings and are learning in-person full time. Understandably, many people celebrated the end of hybrid and remote learning, which was often difficult for teachers and students alike. But returning to learning in a school building doesn’t equal normal.

“What impact will this have on the well-being of my students and on me?”

Simply acknowledging that things aren’t normal can be powerful. If this year is not normal, you can let go of the expectation that it is. Let go of expectations you have for yourself simply because that’s what you would have done in a “normal” year. Instead, interrogate your to-do list with one important question: What impact will this have on the well-being of my students and on me? If something has an outsized impact on the well-being of students, do it. If something has an outsized impact on your well-being, do it. But if something will not have a major impact on you or your students, don’t do it and don’t feel bad.

That probably means that some things you did in 2019 won’t be a part of your classroom in 2021 and that’s okay. What you’ve done in the past does not dictate what you choose to do now. Further, modeling this type of adaptiveness and awareness shows students that the way we care for ourselves and others changes as our needs change. That’s a powerful social-emotional lesson for students and teachers alike.

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This post is part of the series, “May-tired Already” dedicated to providing educators practical strategies to re-energize and refresh for the long year ahead. To see all parts of the series, go here.