This is the first week I’ve been consistently tired. Some of the adrenaline of meeting the kids and starting to teach has worn off, and we’ve reached a sort of baseline of energy and excitement. When you think about it, eight weeks is not that long at all (especially compared to teachers who teach full-time), and I feel a little bad about being tired less than halfway through the program. But I think it’s fair to give ourselves some credit too — this is the first time we’re doing this online, we’re missing a lot of the social enrichment that would normally take place, and honestly, even if we were in person, I’d bet that teaching is, simply put, an exhausting endeavor.
I think it’s the smiling. Let me tell you, having to be constantly grinning even as you’re teaching your fourteenth identical class of the week is grueling. As I click that button to end my Zoom meeting around 10:30 pm each night, I have to admit that I feel a sense of relief wash over me as I allow my cheek muscles to return to their normal resting position.
Like anything, though, getting started is the hardest part. Teaching my first period alone Sunday through Wednesday is particularly taxing because I have to singlehandedly bring the energy that I wish to see from my class. I’m normally alright operating solo, but wow does having a teaching partner make a difference. I’m so thankful for Sandy and Zach for not only allowing me to get a bit of a break from speaking, but also for bringing some much-needed energy to the class. And of course, once a class is underway, it’s easy to smile. I’d even venture to say that it’s impossible not to, when you see all those smiling faces looking back at you.
I know it’s only for two and a half hours every night, but to be completely honest, I dearly cherished this past Friday as our one break day of the week. Sara, our site coordinator, was even thoughtful enough to coordinate a hangout for the local Duke Engage people. Out of our cohort of fifteen, there are eight of us who live nearby or are staying in Durham for the summer — ten including Sara and Hsiao-mei. Sara is always thinking of bonding opportunities for us, whether it’s a weekly online social event, going to the farmer’s market, or seeing a women’s soccer game.
This particular Friday morning, six of us, including Sara, went strawberry picking. I almost stayed home because I had just been to a strawberry farm a few weeks ago with my family, and also I wouldn’t normally be awake at that time (it wasn’t even that early… let’s just say that I’m very definitively a night owl). But I decided to join pretty last minute because 1. Sara had to pick people up, so it would be a little later, and 2. you can never have too many strawberries. I’m so glad I ended up going because although we weren’t there for that long, it was just super nice seeing people in person. I’m definitely very lucky to be one of the local students, and I do feel bad for our friends living at home in other cities and states. There is just something distinctly sweet (pun intended) about hearing your cohort members a few rows down exclaim over a perfectly shaped berry while you bake in the sun — something you can’t quite taste no matter how intently you stare at another person’s Zoom screen.
One more update, regarding my last blog post: we were informed this week that we could no longer communicate with the students on WeChat. Something on the Chinese government’s end, we think, but regardless, it was pretty heartbreaking news. A kid in my first-period class on Wednesday night asked me for my WeChat at the end of class, and I had to explain to him why I couldn’t give it to him. It’s disappointing because this was our main way of talking to the kids outside of class and off Zoom, but that just means that fostering relationships within the classroom is more important now than ever. With that being said, onwards to Week 4!