It has been a very long, and difficult term, involving things that I never ever would have thought would occur within teaching – online and blended learning.
I cannot speak for all teachers, but please tell me I am not the only teacher who is glad to finally have some sort of short break now that it is the Easter holidays? I mean, yes, we have had February half term, but I (like I would imagine some other teachers too) was working through that week, preparing for another 2 weeks of blended teaching by recording lessons ready for the children.
Blended learning is a mixture of face to face and online teaching, which is what teachers were doing through January to March (Lockdown number 3 – although, I’m still not convinced that in November was a legit lockdown, but hey ho). This was a whole new tired, and was very difficult doing a live lesson with a small number of children in school, and the rest at home.
Online teaching is teaching that purely online – no children in school. This occurs when a bubble closes (which has…twice). This had it pro’s, like being able to go the toilet when you needed it, make a cup of tea when you wanted one, and even eat when you felt hungry. However, it was very difficult and tiring from a teaching point of view. In the second bubble closure (the week and a bit before Easter started), I was doing 2 live lessons a day, these did include the odd assembly in the week, but the internet made it difficult. I could see and hear the children, but some children couldn’t fully see or hear me. It involved technical issues, like laptops freezing and microphones not working. It included children telling me they had not got a pen…to which I thought, what can I do about that?
8th March. This was the day staff in our school could not wait for. The day all children were to return to school. The day we were back to teaching, full time, face to face with a full class of children. On this day, It was like the first day in school after the summer holidays. Seeing al the children running into class read to learn, see their friends, and just be out of the house. Little did our class know, that just over a week later, our bubble closed – back to online teaching.
As there are 2 weeks in the Easter holidays, I have decided to have the first week to myself. Doing some crochet, a bit of baking, and going on some walks with my mum to get some fresh air. A week to give myself a break. A week to chill, before I start preparing for the Summer term.