I've been teaching in a hybrid model for two weeks now. Two cohorts (A/B) who follow an AA/BB schedule. We are all remote on Wednesdays. Let me tell you- I have NEVER been this exhausted. My brain feels like mush.

First of all, I love my students and I love teaching. There have been some great moments and I know that will continue to happen. But overall? This is not sustainable.

Teachers often joke that our brains have too many tabs open because it's true. This job requires a million decisions every day.

Ok, not a million, but definitely way more than most jobs. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/battling-decision-fatigue-gravity-goldberg-renee-houser

Right now we are dealing with those normal decisions x 100. Now I am teaching students online and in front of me simultaneously, so I am dealing with tech issues, content, classroom management, and pandemic management. I also have to manage social distancing, cleaning, and masks.

It's not humanly possible to do all these things well. I am so lucky that my students work really hard to maintain distancing, wear their masks, and wipe down their desks when they enter the room. But we are asking too much of kids and teens; they forget sometimes, they mess up

I don't blame kids for wiping their desk dry before the 4-10 minutes required for the disinfectant to eliminate the coronavirus. However, it stresses me out IMMENSELY. I don't blame them for getting too close to me or each other: they are kids. But it stresses me out IMMENSELY

But the problem is when someone messes up it means they or someone else could get sick. That's a whole lot of pressure.

Everything takes longer to do online and much longer to do in a hybrid. Teachers joke that we spend all day repeating things like "Let me share my screen"; we joke because it is true. All those extra seconds add up.

Kids are distracted + tired. I know parents are frustrated, but I don't think they realize just how much time in school is spent keeping students on task and focused. Of course, we are all unfocused staring at a screen! Participating in lecture video calls for 7 hrs is crazy.

Of course, not all online classes are lectures, but many are. It's the easiest method for teachers to share content. We know it's not the best pedagogy, but there are only so many hours in a day. It takes me 3-4 hrs to plan/convert one lesson. I teach 15 periods per week.

And while I am comfortable using breakout rooms and other more collaborative methods, not everyone is. Google Meet added breakout rooms this month. When do teachers have time to learn how to use them?! We need to draw the line somewhere.

And of course, we are still dealing with all of the clerical work thrown into teachers' laps in a normal year. The problem is, this isn't a normal year! SGOs, formal evaluations, and standardized testing should be out the window this year.

Of course, those things aren't gone. Somehow we need to figure out how to fairly evaluate students in 3 different cohorts who could be quarantined or change their cohort at any moment. It's unreasonable.

On top of all of this, teachers are trying to figure out where/how to eat + drink now that the CDC has acknowledged aerosol transmission of COVID-19 is occurring. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/scientific-brief-sars-cov-2.html

Where is aerosol transmission occurring? In crowded spaces with poor ventilation where unmasked people are talking/shouting/singing. You know, like schools. Teachers are forced to be around unmasked kids during snack/lunch every single day. It's terrifying.

Let's not forget the constant exposure to cleaning chemicals that we are all subjected to now. And the fact the teachers, who are not trained to clean public spaces during a global pandemic, are now responsible for disinfecting and cleaning multiple times per day.

I already had to request a different disinfectant because the all-natural one my district is using has such a strong botanical smell that it was giving me migraines.

Bottom line- this is not sustainable for students or teachers. Constant stress does not make good teachers or learning environments.

Many teachers are also crazy stressed by the fact that families are still traveling for sports.Nothing like spending hours cleaning while kids talk abt traveling to states on the NJ quarantine list to wrestle or play soccer. No worries-they get a hotel in a non-quarantine state