Today, I am exhausted having covered a Hub class, of only 6 children. My first ever class when I started teaching had 32. 6 have destroyed me today, mentally and physically. But I cannot sleep. When I close my eyes they spring open, remembering this moment or that moment from today. 6 unhappy children, suffering that I could see.
What about the ones not even in Hubs, that go unseen. This situation is soul destroying for everyone, not least our children. ( Incidentally, I had to leave my own children to do this)
This is not my first time, nor the only thing I have done as a teacher since lockdown, not by a long chalk. Yet today has affected me the most, maybe because I can see mental health in our children declining before my eyes.
Social distancing in schools is not beneficial to children. They suffer. They act out. There is no help for it, I know.
Watching this is not easy.
Being a parent at this time is hard, being a teacher is hard, being a medical worker, Carer, shop assistant,police officer...etc...is hard. Being an empathetic, sympathetic human is hard.
I wish we could all just cut each other a little more slack just now.