a small space for big thoughts

Ok, so maybe I'm being a little hard on myself and a little dramatic. It's something that I do, but DANG. I feel this way today. I have been exhausted lately, and today, I hit a wall.  Being on a computer all day and all evening is tough. Teaching online is tough. Not having students communicate with you is tough. Repeating myself in class and in emails is tough.   I've tried being really positive about how things are going, but in all reality, this is not what I signed up for. This is not something I ever envisioned for myself, and I know that every teacher feels the same way. Sometimes I think it's ok to just say that this sucks and see this situation for what it truly is. I'm trying to make the best of it, but today was hard. My school has been remote learning for 4 weeks. A whole month has gone by, and I feel like I still don't know my students. I've tried personal surveys and life maps, but there's just not that fun joking around that you would get

  Generation Z. The generation that has grown up with technology in their pockets. They know what they are doing right? Surely since they've grown up with cell phones and the internet, they won't have a problem with any of the tech tools we use in class.  Think again. This current generation IS a generation defined by technology, but it's really been defined by just one form of that technology: social media. Most teens today can figure out how to upload a video to TikTok or post on Instagram, but the reality is that most of them haven't used technology in a primarily educational setting. Before we talk about what's happening in my virtual classroom, let's take a walk down memory lane for a second. When I was in junior high, I specifically remember Mavis Beacon, the  typing teacher of all typing teachers. I truly learned how to type with this software, which is why some of my students are actually surprised by how fast I can type. I'm not bragging because I o