March 2020: An Ode to Twitter (and My #MTBOS Community)

Today is day two of virtual learning, and I am already feeling restless, a little skeptical, and a little claustrophobic. I have always struggled with anxiety and transitions. In this time of unknowns, my mind continuously races.

Will I get sick?
Will my family members get sick?
Will my students continue learning?
Will we ever go back to school?
When will things go back to normal??

I am somewhat of a homebody, but being trapped in my house has me feeling claustrophobic. Thank God for my husband, my dog, and FaceTime!

Clearly my dog, Theo, is excited to be home and snuggle with us for the foreseeable future :)

But the thing I'm most thankful for during this time of chaos is twitter and my #mtbos community. Last year, I made a twitter looking for ideas about how to get my students to practice more, and I found SO much more than that. I can't describe the ways this twitter community has changed my teaching practices for the better. But even more than that, it has been a community of support. It was so surreal to put names to twitter handles during our #mtbos zoom happy hour last night (thanks @cmmteach!) But it was the push I needed to keep going and keep hoping for the best.

This is new territory for everyone, and there are plenty of things that stress me out about it. But I'm choosing to find the positives.

Companies like Desmos are working around the clock to help teachers implement online learning in the best way possible. And they're taking input and feedback from us!!
Teachers are sharing materials and talking about what's working and what's not working.
People like my co-workers are taking steps to use technology they didn't use much before (like desmos!!)

And finally, I've never seen teachers support each other more than I have these past few weeks. If we are going to get through this, we need to take care of ourselves and each other. So thank you #mtbos community for being my rock when I am cut off from my other learning communities in this crazy time. There are too many of you to shout out individually, but know how much I appreciate every time you interact with my posts, provide feedback, and share your resources and ideas. I'm forever grateful to you, and know that you are changing learning for my students in the best way possible (and keeping me sane)!

PS: If you are struggling with anxiety like I have been, remember that Headspace offers FREE plus memberships for educators (which is usuall $70 per year!). I have been using it and it has been so helpful, especially with falling asleep. Here's a link: https://www.headspace.com/educators

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