If you could go back in time before COVID-19, with the knowledge that all of the closures and shutdowns would be coming soon, would you do anything different? This is a question I have asked myself a lot lately. My intent is not to regret my decisions and discover the many things I would have changed, my intent is actually to reassure myself that I made the right decisions and would not want to change a thing. I had been struggling in my career as a special education teacher for the past year or so. I was exploring careers in corporate America when I was blessed enough to find a new teaching job that was different than anything I had ever done before (and different was definitely what I needed). My start date? March 10, 2020. As if starting a new teaching job in March was not challenging enough, I started just four days before the mandatory school closures. It has been a stress and anxiety-filled past few months and I can’t help but ask myself – if you knew then what you knew now, would you have taken the job?
If someone had asked me that question a few months ago, I honestly would not have known how to answer. Teaching is hard. Even on the good days. Even when everything goes right. Even when the parents are happy and the students are learning. Teaching amidst a global pandemic is beyond hard. There are no words to express the challenges involved in changing your entire pedagogy. Everything that you have studied and worked for has essentially been rendered useless and you are being asked to completely change what you know and love to do. I used the term “asked” lightly. Demanded, told, shamed, and forced seem like more fitting adjectives given how teachers have been treated lately. We went from being hailed as heroes to being told to “suck it up” and do our jobs. Yet if you asked me if I would have taken the job knowing what would come with COVID-19, I would emphatically say yes.
Life is full of unexpected surprises, some good and some not so good. Sometimes these are balanced (like getting a new job and then having to learn how to do it from home), and sometimes they are heavy-handed on one side or another. Regardless of what type of surprises we get, it is important to remember that though they may be a surprise to us, they are not surprises to God. Everything is by His design and a part of His plan – no matter how difficult it may be to realize that in the moment. God has geared me towards this career since I was a young girl. It may not always be easy, but it is what He has called me to do. It is where I can use the gifts that He gave me to make an impact on others.
That being said, knowing it is His plan doesn’t make it any easier in the tough times. I have been struggling with my depression and anxiety more than I have in years. I know I am not alone in that struggle. Just ask any educator or parent you know – they’re struggling. Whether they are for or against in-person or virtual instruction, we all have the same thing in common: we are overwhelmed. We are grieving the ideal education experience that our students and children are being deprived of. We are sad for how this has turned out and scared of what it will continue to be. At a time with so many unknowns, it is hard not to feel lost in it all. If there ever was a time to “give it all up to God,” I imagine it would be now – amidst a global pandemic.
One of my favorite memory verses is the verse Willowdale Chapel studied a few weeks ago when learning about peace. Phillipians 4:6-7 states “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Prayer is at the core of this verse and so I ask that all of those reading today say a prayer. A prayer for teachers, that they feel the love of God and their community as they embark on a new journey. A prayer for students, that they manifest patience and work willingly with teachers and parents in the coming weeks. A prayer for parents, that they make peace with their decisions for their children and find the courage to push on in the difficult times. A prayer for everyone, that they give each other grace and respect in this time of unknown and that God protects them and keeps them in good health.
ABOUT OUR BLOGGER
Lisa Replogle has had a long, ever-changing journey in her relationship with Christ, and she is excited to share what she has learned along the way. She is a certified early childhood and special education teacher and currently teaches high school multiple disability support. Lisa and her husband are the parents of five-year-old identical twin boys.
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INDOOR YOGA IS BACK
We are thrilled that High Places Yoga will be meeting indoors again — this Friday morning at 9 am at Willowdale Chapel, Kennett Campus. CLICK HERE for details.