Exhaustion of All Sorts

Well, this wraps up the first week of distance learning. It was actually only 2 days of official online teaching, but it might as well have been a whole week because I am exhausted.

It's not the same kind of exhaustion I am used to feeling after a busy week at work; I'm used to teaching classes, rushing to accommodate students who come in between classes, get books checked in and shelved, recess duty, etc. It's mostly mental and emotional exhaustion.

I am mentally exhausted from scouring the Internet for good resources to pass on to staff members. I am mentally exhausted from news reports and social media that I see every time I get on the computer. I am mentally exhausted from trying to review and re-explain concepts to the students that we discussed in class, but now seem to have gone out of their heads, through a never-ending series of emails. 

I am emotionally exhausted from the stress of my new job situation, absorbing some of the stress from my husband's new job situation (also a teacher), and trying to keep our son occupied for more than a few minutes at a time so I don't have to explain to him yet again that Mama and Dada are not on vacation; just because we're at home doesn't mean we're not working.

And just for fun, there's the physical exhaustion that comes with constantly doing laundry and dishes because since we're in the house all the time now, we're dirtying the sheets, blankets, dishtowels, plates, silverware, etc.

We are trying to get into some kind of routine but it's going to take some time.

I am trying to find some time during the day to do creative things, but I end up feeling guilty if I do too much, like I should be checking emails, or entering grades, or checking out new resources, or recording a read-aloud.  .  .

I think the most important thing I have to do is to be there for the students. I have already received emails from several students saying how much they miss me and the library, and it kind of breaks my heart. So far, my favorite email from a student said:

"My mom started a homeschool, and my sister is a teachers pet and I was suspended. So everything is great, except the fact that I am bored, I HAVE NO BOOKS!!!!!!!!!"

That email made me laugh out loud.

A couple months ago, I treated myself to a new box of watercolor brush paints. I have never been very good with watercolors, so this is my first attempt:

It's supposed to be my cat Bella, but instead it looks like one of the humanoid-cat actors in the recent film version of Cats.