Hindsight is supposedly
20/20, but I have to admit that after this whirlwind of a year, looking back I
still can’t fully see or comprehend everything that has happened. Between
transportation strikes the first half of the year and the COVID-19 pandemic the
second half, I think it’s safe to say that this year of teaching has been a
little atypical.
However, despite the chaos,
even if I could go back knowing all that I do now, I would absolutely still
choose to teach in Deauville. As the cliche goes, my students have taught me
just as much as I have taught them. Watching my students adapt to a new
post-Covid normal while they maintain their curiosity to learn has been inspiring.
Restrictions have been tough, teachers wear masks all day, classes can only
interact with themselves, during recess classes are separated by barriers, and
students can’t get within a meter of each other, and yet even with these
restrictions the students are still able to laugh, learn, and gain some sense
of normalcy, a lesson I think everyone can look to during the uncertainty of
these times.
I could go on and on about
the benefits and impacts of this program, but as this blogpost and school year are
coming to an end I want to finish by saying just how grateful I am. Thank you
to those at Lexington Sister Cities and those in Deauville who gave me the
opportunity to teach and meet so many incredible students, you have given me
the chance to shape their lives, and by doing so have shaped mine as
well.
