A letter from May 24th, 2021

Dear FutureMe, You won't remember that you wrote this, but this year has been a hard time to be a teacher. Kids are still great and usually let you know they are listening but you've missed so many of those lightbulb moments. All the joy you normally take from you job has been zapped by Canvas pages, schedule changes, trying to constantly shift/update everything you've done. It's also your last year in the old TJ building. It's been weird starting to pack things up and I still haven't picked which posters to bring. Your SEL class has the best mentors and students, including a coworkers kid. She is so great and yeah it's okay that you were terrified of having a coworkers child in class but it worked out fine again. Try to just relax about that in the future. This is the year that you got into sport climbing (just in time of for the first Olympics) and the year that you very much said "no big life changing decisions." You dreamed of teaching aboard in Portugal so the ocean would be on the correct side and you found a new love of crochet. I think at this point the count is 3 scarfs, 3 cat beds, 1 blanket, 1 baby blanket, 1 sweater, 2 sets of fingerless gloves, 1 set of socks, and the current WIPs are another sweater, more socks, a blanket, and so much yarn. You solved mysteries via zoom, played in two D&D campaigns, and just want to go to breakfast in a restaurant again. Maybe in June, hopefully. With the vaccine being more wildly available and approved for 12+, it really seems like we might get out of this sometime soon. Only time will tell, you will know better, and I hope this isn't another fake out. You've made it this far and it's only 24 days until school over for the year. Summer will bring the usual conferences but not the usual travel. Summer will let you visit Grandma's grave for the first time and it will let you hug the other one safely. I hope this brings a smile to your face and you remember that while it wasn't easy. 2020-2021 wasn't all bad.