Time melts.
Is it shocking to anyone else that it is almost mid-August? Did spring and early summer even happen? Does anyone feel rested? I feel like I’m in a time vortex and living inside Salvador Dali’s landscape, The Persistence of Memory. When I moved to India two years ago, I became aware of how much I relied on the seasonal changes to understand time. Months would fly by and when I’d see teachers’ classrooms decorated with jack-o-lanterns and Christmas stockings, I would do a double take because it is always summer in Chennai. Now I’m back in the USA and I have experienced two seasons: spring and summer, yet time has no meaning anymore. The days and months melt together.
On a rare venture into the “outside world” I went to Target last week with my daughter. We were equipped with masks and hand sanitizer as we walked the aisles. When we walked past the “Back To School” section I thought of all the loss and all the loss that is yet to come. I miss not returning to school this year and I’m sure I’m not alone. Keeping a pulse on the job market through various apps, I am aware of many vacant teaching jobs. This likely means some/many teachers are leaving their careers, like me, at least for awhile. Because of COVID19, many educators cannot continue to work and also support their own children. They may also be afraid to return to work for fear of being exposed to the virus and then bringing it home to their own family. Some international teachers are not able to get back to their employment in various countries around the world because of continued visa restrictions. I have so much empathy for teachers who have no choice but to return to schools that are/will open and be a front-line worker. You are heroic.
I am considering moving my 16 years of art teaching to a virtual world, but this time, I may concentrate on adult student artists. In every school I’ve ever taught at, the parents of my students wished I could teach them. Maybe this is the time to do so. If you have the time, would you help me by answering eleven questions? I need your help in forging ahead in this new world.
Thank you for reading. Thank you for taking my survey. Thank you for your comments. Thank you for following and subscribing to my blog. Your comments and truthful responses will help me determine my direction.
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Art Teach Travel 