“When you cannot do what you have always done, you only do what matters most.” Robert D. Hales
Last week, I completed a 30 hour online Zoom training for teaching AP French, and as I sat listening to the presenter talking through the computer screen, I began to feel very overwhelmed.
There are a lot of unknowns for teachers at this time because we don’t know how our classes will be affected by this virus; we don’t know what the dynamic will be having to teach with a mask on; we don’t know if our pay will be increased or decreased; we don’t know if we will be teaching online or at school, etc, etc. Heck I don’t even know how to teach a foreign language without students being able to watch me formulate the words with my mouth!
So as I sat there, feeling more and more anxious about how I wasn’t going to be able to teach as I have always taught, or prepare lessons as I have always prepared them, I suddenly began to feel very much like I was out of control.
Which I am.
I mean, there is a microscopic virus in the loose, after all.
Honestly, I think my fears make sense, and I think it’s understandable that I would be worried about how to accommodate all my students after having such a tragic sudden ending to the school year (having to teach online for three months). But then as I sat there panicking, I realized that, as Elder Hales suggests, I can learn to do what matters most. And that is all I need to expect of myself.
Thankfully, for me, doing what matters most revolves around simplicity.
I can prepare lessons one day at a time, I don’t have to know everything all at once.
I can rely on what I did last year, thankfully.
I can still meet my students’ needs, even if I have to learn day by day how to do that.
I can still teach and have fun and play games and be the crazy French teacher I do want to be.
And perhaps the most important thing I can do is to allow my focus to remain constantly and consistently in Jesus Christ, because in his strength, I can do all things.
Including teach school with a mask on. 😷👌🏻
So for anyone finding themselves worrying about what they can’t do anymore, I recommend doing what I did, as I sat in my chair, feeling the panic start to settle in. Focus on Christ. Focus on what you can do. And have faith that you can do it.
