I suppose that many educators feel like they are creating order where there is none as they teach during a pandemic. I was reminded of this last night when I had one of those school dreams. The dream was definitely the result of sorting through thousands of old papers which was like walking through time. In the dream, the children were learning in a hotel room, and there was all kinds of crazy mischief. Essentially it was teaching with no order. Pandemic days has created an orderless society in many ways--while many of us are living with considerable limitations, the order that we were accustom to is missing, so we have to create our own. Additionally, it appears that our President may be deranged, which adds another layer of confusion and craziness to these pandemic times.
As many of us try to create this order, we are relying on tech tools in new ways which is a journey in itself. How to make up for lost in-person family time, online takes some thought and creativity. Wording messages via text rather than in real time requires good focus and understanding. Bringing a crowd together in meaningful ways when it's impossible to meet in the same place is a mighty challenge.
Yet, our will to be with one another, help one another, and survive this challenge is strong so most of us continue the pursuit though challenging and unpredictable. We make the best of times with new patterns, pursuits, and ways of accomplishing long-held daily pursuits and patterns.
What have I learned so far, and what will the plans be like in the days ahead.
Flexibility
These days calls for flexibility. A good example is the beloved Patriots--some of the players have the coronavirus, thus the games have been postponed. So many in our region look forward to these games, but they've had to be flexible as they wait out the players' illness. The same has been true for so many sports teams and games, and the same is true for almost every aspect of our lives these days. If nothing else, we are learning that we have to be more flexible.
Changes in routines
We've definitely had to change a number of routines. Rather than go out for a special dinner, we're mostly staying in and cooking. Rather than host a large crowd at home, we're seeing those people in smaller groups mainly outdoors. With few social occassions, there's little need to buy new clothes, however, I've been shopping more for garden supplies, appliances, kitchen tools, and cleaning supplies. The home has become the center stage of life today.
Entertainment
In addition to outdoor adventures, there's more time spent reading, watching television, writing, researching, and playing online games. Visits to the movie theater, a show, and travel are mainly on hold right now with a few exceptions.
Carefully planned travel
In some cases, we've made plans to travel to see loved ones we care a lot about--loved ones worth travel with so many limitations. Unlike days of old, for travel now, we're opting to drive rather than fly, mostly bring our own food rather than eat out, and planning mainly outdoor activities with a few exceptions for well planned, safe indoor exploration.
This is a time like I've never experienced before. Like everyone else, I'm doing what I can to make the most of it. Onward.