Dear Reader,
Praised by readers and reviewers alike for her "gentle stories of hope," guest author, Kim Vogel Sawyer, wrote today's column: "You Can Take the Teacher Out of the Classroom, But..."
Kim and her former-military husband, Don, are empty nesters who relish time with their three adult daughters and a passel of granddarlings. When Kim isn't writing, she enjoys quilting, singing, and visiting ghost towns.
Say "Hello," authors always enjoy hearing from readers.
Email: Kim@KimVogelSawyer.com
You Can Take the Teacher Out of the Classroom, But...
In my previous life (before writing for a living), I was a school teacher. Loved it. Really, really loved it. But the opportunity to write full time came along, and I couldn't resist grabbing hold of the career I'd dreamed about from the time I was old enough to pick up a pencil. So I've spent the past fifteen years out of the classroom.
Enter COVID-19. Schools abruptly closed, parents became instant teachers, and families were thrown for a loop. My youngest daughter works nights. In health care. She feared bringing the virus home to her family. So she called, and...long story short...Gramma became Teacher Gramma.
Amazing how much things have changed, technologically speaking, since I closed my classroom door. Back in "my day," I taught using white boards and text books and practice worksheets. My granddaughters, who are first and second graders, each came with an app-loaded iPad. Their teachers emailed activity boards with links to videos and the girls responded on the iPad. ZOOM meetings on my computer let the girls see their teachers and classmates a few times a week. I was supposed to be teaching my Wugmumps, but they ended up teaching me a few things, too!
The situation started out pretty stressful, with the girls uprooted from their home and friends, and me being thrown into a role for which I felt woefully unprepared despite my many years of being a classroom teacher. But you know what? It really turned out to be a special time of bonding. My grandkids are growing up so fast. I've had three completely uninterrupted weeks of time with the littlest ones--to teach them, but also to listen to them. To play with them. To get a glimpse at how their little brains work and what things are important to them. We've gone on nature hikes, made paintings of dinosaurs, read countless stories, sang together, and made bird-feeders out of pinecones and peanut butter. We've giggled and, yes, shed a few tears, too. Yesterday as I was helping the second grader with regrouping 3-digit addition, she said, "I'm going to miss having you as my teacher, Gramma." I've never received higher praise.
The evening the girls and I sat on the back porch, listening to thunder roll and sipping hot cocoa while a rainbow formed in the clouds, I realized that years from now I'll look back on this time as one of my most precious life chapters. And to think we had it because of a virus.
-- Kim Vogel Sawyer
Email: Kim@KimVogelSawyer.com
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
* This month's Penguin Classics book is BLACK SHACK ALLEY, by Joseph Zobel. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading and enter for your chance to win.
Those unexpected blessings are absolute treasures!
Posted by: Lisa W. Smith | May 13, 2020 at 11:12 AM