Pandemic Teaching: YOU CAN DO THIS!

Teaching during a pandemic is no joke.  That abrupt shift to distance learning this spring still has me reeling a bit.  And as I look ahead to August and all of the unknowns that come along with going back to school there is a part of me that wants to cower and hide in a corner.  #anxiousteachermama. I have to do some serious self-encouragement lest my worries get the best of me.  This image is literally my desktop background right now, haha!

Despite my fears, there is also a part of me that wants to stand up straight, take whatever the heck is thrown at me, and do my VERY BEST for my future students.  While I am sure it will not be easy by any means, teachers have so many innate qualities that can bolster us up at a time such as this: courage, resourcefulness, commitment, determination, and love, to name a few.  You’ve got this!

In an attempt to make things easier for myself (and hopefully a few others!) when I step back into the classroom, I created this brand new resource:

Pandemic Hygiene in the Classroom has just what you need to help your little learners feel more comfortable with the extra hygiene practices that may be in place.  Is anyone else freaking out about managing a room full of little mask-wearers who are supposed to wash their hands almost constantly?  I was too, so I created some specific things to help myself out with that. This download is PACKED full of teaching resources to help encourage good classroom hygiene and a happy, healthy school year!  Take a look!

This book, “My School and the Pandemic” will help your students connect with and understand how COVID-19 is affecting their school and their world.  There are four version: full color, black/white, mini, and a digital version (I see you, distance learning) via Google Slides.

Here is a quick flip-through of all of the pages:

My district and school are still ironing out the details for keeping our schools and classrooms extra sanitary, but one thing I do know….everyone will be washing their hands A LOT.  Like twelve times a day.  Don’t get me wrong, I am all about being extra cautious and clean, but it makes me a little bit dizzy to think about how to facilitate this with 30 six year-olds.  Cue the posters and printables!

Here’s my little classroom sink area set up just now:

And, to be perfectly honest, I am even more nervous about mask wearing in the classroom.  There is just so much potential for problems and chaos, haha!  But we’ll figure it out (that’s what we do best!) and hopefully some of these resources will help!

After all of the mask management stuff we’ll definitely want to have some fun with this word scramble, design-a-mask page, and mini-book!

This packet also has some cute and versatile hygiene posters that you can display in your classroom.  Some of them are unique to this time (like mask wearing and social distancing), but many of them can be used even after the pandemic…like reminders to cough into your elbow, wash your hands frequently, or brush your teeth before school.

It is my sincere hope that this resource can be helpful to you, teacher friend!  These times are unprecedented and I am convinced that we need to lean one one another to get through.  Teaching during a pandemic?  You can totally do it!  Happy Teaching!