Power through with...release of regrets

<p>This was the most challenging school year of almost every educator’s career.  We’re used to certain aspects of the work getting easier over time, but there were so many new challenges in 2020-2021 that even the most experienced teachers often felt like it was their first year all over again. <br />  <br /> <strong>You had lots of personal and professional growth, of course … but somehow you’re feeling less confident in your abilities now than ever before. </strong>It’s a very weird dichotomy, to feel like you worked so hard and learned so many new things, yet there’s no sense of a commensurate payoff.<br />  <br /> So what does it look like to wrap up a year feeling like this? How do you get a sense of real closure?<br />  <br /> I think it’s important to acknowledge that we’re all experiencing various levels of collective grief right now. There’s a sense of loss for what we’ve missed out on: “regular” school, being close to family and friends, traveling, vacations, and our normal way of life. Some are also grieving deeper losses for any number of reasons, and not being able to process those losses in our normal ways is also painful.<br />  <br /> <a href= "https://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/truth-for-teachers-podcast/teaching-during-the-pandemic/"> The thing about grief is that we each experience it differently. And, there are many different phases and types of grief which people might cycle through.</a> <br />  <br /> Some days, I’m content. I’ve made peace with the limitations I have in my life right now and the things I love that are unavailable to me currently. I feel content and able to embrace my new routines for as long as I need to.<br />  <br /> Other days, I’m simply resigned to these new routines. I’m restless and frustrated. Sometimes I’m deeply sad. I have moments when I feel hopelessness and helplessness that won’t ever seem to end.<br />  <br /> But that’s the other thing about grief, right? It doesn’t feel the same forever.<br />  <br /> The ups and downs are all a natural, expected part of