Here are some highlights and lowlights from this past year in no particular order.
I survived distance teaching, and made a yearbook while being completely isolated. I foresee more distance teaching on the horizon because of the uptick in cases, but I’ll cross that bridge when I have to.
I got to spend a lot of quality time with my parents. Due to teaching from home, and them not being able to go anywhere or do anything, we established a once-a-week dinner/game night, and I frequently go visit them. It helps that they’re very close to where I live.
My Noni passed away five days before my birthday. It was heartbreaking, and quick, and I am still angry and sad that she spent her final year away from her family due to COVID.
I went back to teaching in person which was both nerve wracking and joyous. I’m lucky because the students I have this year are good kids, but I’ve had a much larger population with mental health issues that I need to be watchful of. It’s a strange time in education. We’re supposed to be rigorous, but not too rigorous because of the loss of learning, stern but helpful, regimented yet loose. It’s a lot all of the time. Wearing a mask all day and teaching with it on has also been a hurdle.
I tried and failed to get pregnant. I had so much hope, and now I have…
I lost about 50 pounds. I’ve been hovering at this current weight for about 2 months. I’ll just say it, the holidays and my current emotional state have caused me to be stagnant, but I’m okay with that. For now, at least.
I prioritized my life over my career. This is not exactly a desirable trait for a teacher in a society that expects us to give up our lives for the lives of our students, but I’m not doing that anymore. Healthy boundaries in terms of responding to emails and messages, weekends not doing grading or lesson planning, and leaving campus no later than 4pm are all ways in which I have shown that my life is worth more than my job.
I spent a lot of time writing this year. I don’t know if it will ever lead anywhere lucrative, but it’s nice to have an outlet.
I got to spend time with my BFF and her son. It wasn’t enough time, but it was good. COVID kept us separated for almost two years, but a short visit before this latest spike was just what we needed.
I’m sure there is more, but these are the only ones that come to mind at this time. I’m hoping that 2022 will be better, that COVID will decently subside, that my family and friends will be happy and healthy, that society will find some kind of common ground, that we can be at peace with each other, and that I will find a sliver of the life I always wanted for myself.
