There have been some remarkable realizations, connections, and friendships that never would have happened were it not for this challenging time of COVID-19. These are the butterflies that have been birthed from the chrysalis of challenges, conflict, and necessity. We reached out to the gcLi community to hear about some of their butterflies. These are their stories.
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As a junior boarding school teacher in a triple-threat model, and as a parent, time to grow professionally is rare and requires some amount of sacrifice. March through August, I was given the gift of time. My first attempt to use that time was around running and biking goals. I wanted to get on trails, shred pounds, and meet daily hydration requirements. Instead, I mostly played outside with my son and I found myself in a chair reading rather than knocking out 20 miles on a bike. To be honest, this is not a usual way for me to spend time, but I wanted to be prepared for the coming distance learning and other possibilities of teaching discussed by our administration. The books shifted to researching workshops. I honed in on workshops offering structure for online, distance instruction.
Amongst the hours of reading, watching, and participating, phrases like “emotional integrity’’ and “self-directedness” and “student engagement” emerged in various forms and synonyms; these of course lead to “success!” I found all of this fascinating, but one truth was inescapable – I was having a hard time sitting in front of a screen for two hours and remaining highly engaged in the format all day. How were we ever going to get kids to do this, especially for a group that’s still developing “emotional integrity,” “self-directedness.” and “engagement”? Into cyberspace I went. I attended copious workshops and seminars on social emotional learning; teaching leadership; facilitating online adventure; and diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice practices. There was a workshop on project-based learning and assessments and another on conflict resolution. The overall comfort with video conferencing replaced laborious scheduling emails around everyone’s classes and driving distances just to find a time to meet in person. “Sorry I’m late; I was stuck in traffic” was replaced with “sorry I’m late; the dog knocked my coffee over.” This new comfort, along with wanting to connect with people in other communities, resulted in many wonderful phone calls and Zoom meetings to discuss how we find this “success.”
All of this work highlighted the importance of committing to social-emotional, character, multicultural and leadership education for all of our students. It’s been a remarkable experience to be on teams building our SEL department, adding new curriculum, and exploring new programs that highlight the aforementioned growth and community. It might be fair to say that a school-wide butterfly took flight, affirming the importance of teaching character and community and the unique niche all independent schools have in this area.
Craig
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A “butterfly” moment I celebrate is in my personal life, which is really surprising since I am such a workaholic; the ministry seems to just absorb my life deeply. Honoring the dead is a sacred ritual in the Philippines, my country of origin. We just don’t do “public viewing and visitation.” We have three days to a week of “wake,” which means family, relatives, and friends are with their beloved dead all night and all day. As deaths multiplied during COVID-19, my heart grieves for the families who could not be with their dying loved ones, who could not give a proper wake and burial, and who couldn’t even say a final goodbye in a way that brings comfort and healing. That’s why I made sure to send cards to colleagues and friends who have lost loved ones. I joined them in communal prayer when possible, or walked with them through my personal prayer. But I know this wasn’t enough…
From that grief and sadness [and with some frustration and anger at our collective inability to slow down and beat this pandemic], I began to see how “zoom” can help me reach out and communicate with my siblings and friends who are separated from me by distance. Many may be “zoomed out,” but to a family whose members are in different time zones, zoom has become a blessing. When our July 2020 family reunion officially got cancelled to everyone’s sadness and disappointment, I started bi-weekly zoom meetings just to say hi and re-connect. We enjoyed each other’s company and got to see nieces and nephews, the grandkids, and hear the latest news from each one. We celebrated birthdays over zoom — which we’ve never done before. Then I hosted my nephew’s college graduation by creating a video with a program that included his cousin as the keynote speaker. My sister was so grateful and overjoyed that a family activity had transformed her son’s graduation into a meaningful celebration. We gathered and prayed the rosary for our beloved dead, a family tradition that we have missed because of distances. Thousands of miles apart can no longer separate our praying together for our beloved dead, most especially for our parents and two siblings. This is now our new tradition. Yes, churches got closed, but the beloved community was born in many homes… mine, my siblings, and the children’s homes. Butterflies continue to be birthed, little ones; but, they emerge to allow me to embrace new meaning, joy, and life.
As Pope Francis would say: “Human beings, while capable of the worst, are also capable of rising above themselves, choosing again what is good, and making a new start.” More than ever I have realized that nothing can stop us from making connections. It is truly within our power to respond to this current crisis and find the Light in the darkness and allow the caterpillar to become a butterfly. Hope wins!
Terri