As soon as schools closed, everything got a new perspective… all of a sudden the irritating routines, the inefficient staff,
the strict administrators, the rowdy students, all becomes near and dear…
Last week was just another week, with the bright spots of getting
some agreeable comments from students, working with a good assistant, having
lunch with friends, but also with some of the usual annoyances like
miscommunications, misunderstandings, huge classrooms crowded with rude students…
Now that there are talks about possibly closing schools until
the summer, it is depressing even for people who love staying at home, let
alone for students who strive on social connection, and parents whose
livelihood depends on going to work to provide for their
families…
Last time I was employed was the week just before the
closure. As I was working in different classrooms, I noticed the new types of
desks most classes had. They are shaped like a trapezoid but with curvy sides,
and can be put together in various forms. Different teachers combine them in diverse
ways. Some put them in threes or more, the conservative teachers arrange them
in twos, and the progressive ones arrange full circles, which makes me feel like
I am in a summer camp…
As an old-fashioned teacher, I always liked the conservative
arrangement of one student per desk, or two at the most, to break the social
connections and make students pay attention to the teacher…
Now, like probably most of the students , I feel nostalgic
for the combined desks, where students do communicate and socialize, and
sometimes even help each other… because maybe socializing is the most important
thing they do learn at school, after all…
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