At the end of class I save some time to ask my students for any last-minute questions, comments, or concerns that they have that weren’t addressed earlier in class. This allows them time to ask me about material we covered in class today, questions they have about homework, or even just time for us to chat (because that’s what we would do if we were in our physical classroom!).

So the other day I asked for student questions, comments, or concerns, and one student answered (through the chat because we haven’t quite graduated to unmuting and answering):

“Nothing it was a good lesson”

And y’all. I about fainted.

A good lesson??!!

For real??!!

It took me a moment to adjust and accept what that sweet, sweet student had just typed.

Because honestly? It didn’t feel like a good lesson to me.

…

Let me backtrack a little with some background information that I feel is relevant for the rest of this post.

Earlier this month my school had a weeklong fall break, so I packed up and headed home to North Dakota to get some much-needed family time. I stayed for an extra week and gave my students a tour of some of my very favorite places including, but not limited to,

• My grandpa’s house
• Badlands Ministries
• The Brew

(On a completely unrelated note, if anyone wants to start a Nashville chain of that amazing little place please let my roommate and I know. Serious inquires only.)

• My parent’s kitchen

While I was home, I did what any normal person would do: I got coffee every day from some of my favorite coffee places, I ate at some of my favorite restaurants, and I spent time with some of my favorite people.

And I learned a few things:

1. Coronavirus is no joke and it’s not that fun to get. 10/10 do not recommend.
2. Even first year teachers need a break.

For me, that break was a perfect time to step back, reevaluate, and reflect on how my first quarter had gone (don’t worry—I did some relaxing, too 😊).

I looked at my assignments. I looked at my lessons. I looked at my gradebooks. Something wasn’t quite lining up.

Until I got some advice:

“Have you looked at your expectations?”

Um…yes? Maybe? I don’t know?

I do know this:

• I know what I’m expecting compared to the expectations that other teachers of this same subject have in their classes.

Seems like a pretty reasonable expectation to have.

• I know what I’m expecting based on my past experience.  

There is it.

This is nothing like my past experience, but I was still setting expectations for my students and myself based on what I’d experienced in the past.

…

It is okay to adjust my expectations.

It is okay to adjust my expectations of what being a teacher looks like, because the rose-colored glasses I was wearing looked cute but were not practical for long-term 😉.

It is okay to adjust my expectations of what my classroom looks like, because I’m a first-year teacher and I need to stick to a budget.

It is okay to adjust my expectations of what student engagement looks like, because I don’t know the students behind the screens and most of them are trying their best.

It is okay to adjust my expectations of what class in a Microsoft Teams meeting looks like, because virtual is different from in-person, but learning is still fun.

…

When that student told me:

“Nothing it was a good lesson”

We hadn’t done anything fancy. We hadn’t done anything earth-shattering. We were practicing end rhyme and labeling rhyme scheme by writing our own elementary-level poems and labeling them.

(Most of the poems centered around cats being hit with bats and frogs being kicked off logs and part of me is concerned but part of me is impressed they mastered the skill…adjusted expectation?).

They laughed (it was in the form of “lol” and “haha,” but I’ll take it). They responded to each other. They responded to me.

They had fun.

They learned.

It is okay to adjust my expectations.

So, sweet student, you are right.

It was a good lesson.