It’s been a hard week. The tragedy in Texas has been exhausting to manage mentally and emotionally. My husband worked for a gun control policy non-profit for many years, and he officially started looking for a new job after Sandy Hook, when he realized that not even a mass-shooting of that magnitude in an elementary school would lead to safer gun policy. He started working for the city soon after.
Now, as it happens again not even ten years later, he is not even a little bit surprised.
No one is. And that is the problem.
I really don’t know how to manage my emotions on this. If I think for too long or two hard I start to cry or scream or both. But what good does that do? We are not the problem, and we can’t do anything to change it.
So that’s been roiling in the background (as it has for everyone) making an already exhausting week ever more overwhelming.
Wednesday and Thursday at work were really long, exhausting days. I would have preferred pushing the big, energy intensive lessons (plus a party!) to next week, but because this Wednesday and Thursday were our last block days, I didn’t have any choice.
The good news is the really hard work for the school year is over.
The bad news is I am totally overwhelmed (and I don’t use that word as lightly anymore, not since reading Atlas of the Heart) and hanging on by a thread.
My daughter ended up testing negative on Tuesday afternoon and returning to school Wednesday (two days before her 10 days were up). My son tested negative on Wednesday afternoon and went back Thursday (just one day early). My son was testing very positive on Monday, and I honestly thought he’d be home all week. But his eyes were bothering him Monday so we started treating his allergies (a Claritin at night and nose spray in the morning) and by Tuesday his positive line was very faint. My own taste and smell returned when I treated my allergies; I wonder if treating allergies helps people get over Covid a little more quickly (or maybe allergies exacerbate Covid symptoms or duration). It’s just anecdotal, but still I thought I’d share, in case any other allergy sufferers who read this blog get Covid and find it helps.
It looks like my ILs are willing to see us this weekend – at least me and the kids (my husband hasn’t tested negative yet – hopefully this afternoon), so that is good. I’m very excited to meet my niece in person and to see my nephew again.
It feels silly to be so excited for the weekend, when I was stuck at home for 10 days, but I absolutely am. I’m also looking forward to next week, which will be a normal week for us. I really, really need a return to normality.
I’m glad your kids were able to quarantine less than the full ten days.
I have been thinking about you all week. Thank you for update.
Glad kids tested negative and hope your husband does so also today. OF COURSE you are exhausted. You were sick and it takes time to recover from sick.
And a major energy intensive teaching event in your classroom.
And the horrors of the wider world.
And sending your own children back into schools. Expect your daughter’s class was talking about the news and of course your son’s grade does drills, they start at age 3 in preschool.
So you dealt with that at home too.
And now hearing senators etc talking about you are to become a gun shot expert ready to shot to kill another human being in order to teach in a school……or go to a grocery store. I expect there are a lot of elected government officials who don’t go to grocery stores or have children at schools………
It is overwhelming.
Please take care of you and your family this weekend. Glad next week is only 4 school days at longest. Memorial Day when we remember those who died in defense of this nation; maybe also every child and innocent person killed by guns.
PLEASE VOTE.
Hoping this weekend has gone well and you have found some relief. I am so over ready for all schools to be closed…….. Which I know actually does not change the real problem. Support. This is so very hard.