From Anxiety to Joy: One Director’s COVID Story

From Anxiety to Joy: One Director’s COVID Story

I will be honest with you. I spent the months leading up to the reopening of our ECE dreading the entire experience, mourning what I was losing, and leaning into the great anxiety I was feeling. 

I don't have to tell you this, but there was so much to be sad about: no all-school Havdalah, no Shabbat in the sanctuary, no PE with Coach Ben, and no Library with Savta.  I wasn't going to spend time in the classrooms for weekly music or story time. I love to sit on the floor and play with the kids; I love to support the teachers in their rooms - no more.  And, worst of all, no hugs.  

And yet, we stepped forward.  After hours of meetings, days of preparation, and many sleepless nights, the Monday morning of Teacher Training Week arrived.  I found that I was overcome by a sense of calm.  We talked through every painstaking piece of the COVID-19 puzzle, every procedure and protocol; then we made our way to the classrooms to get to work!  We prepped, cleaned, and organized.

Suddenly, the first day of school was here!  While many things looked different, the energy and love were the same.  Despite our enrollment being down 50 percent, we were happy. We found moments of joy, lots of them!  The children remember “before" but they are in the moment of today.  They play, sing, laugh, tell stories, and engage in every learning experience.  They are eager for each day to begin, and they are so happy to be with their friends and teachers in "their school" again.  

I am finding the joy in seeing my teachers each day, even from 6 feet away.  I love greeting the children at the gate each morning, even while in my mask and shield. I have even found joy in administering temperature checks and health screenings. 

I laugh every day at the funny stories the children share, the pride in showing off their new mask, or their insistence upon answering the screening questions themselves. 

One of our 3-year-olds insists he has all the COVID symptoms, while his mom shakes her head no behind him.  One of our 6-year-olds asked, "Are you going to ask these questions every day?"  One of our toddlers told her mom that she was going to see her friend, Miss Leslie, at school the next morning.   How can I not find joy in these moments?

Even though there are COVID scares, endless cleaning, more Zoom meetings than ever before, and all the other craziness, in every way possible, I am finding ways to connect and find joy.  We will celebrate together, even if distanced. Each step of the way, we will find a way.  We will find the joy!  We will bring the magic!  

What worked for us?

•        Zoom classroom tours and engagements before school started
•        Individual “Meet the Teachers” appointments in person before school started
•        Over-communication with the teachers, the parents, the families, the board, the senior staff, the congregation – basically, everyone!
•        Keeping our ECC small to start
•        Giving each cohort two classrooms to use with their own bathroom and playground space
•        Thinking (and talking) through as many scenarios as we could before they arose so we could plan
•        Appreciating our staff with coffee, lunch, a seltzer water, and a thank you
•        Being flexible and patient
•        Keeping an eye out for the joyful moments!

Leslie Scheck, M.A.R.E.
Director of Early Childhood Education
Temple Solel ECC, Temple Solel, Cardiff by the Sea, CA

October 2020