Day 5 of Social Distancing- Welcome to my blog

Hi, there! Welcome to my blog. If you’re anything like me, then you’ve come to the write* place! 😉 I’m a High School English Teacher and a marathon runner. I’ve always used journals as my emotional outlet, but I thought that with the current times, it may help to share these thoughts with others and not keep them to myself. If I can help someone else not feel alone, then maybe this social distancing won’t be so bad after all. If I can help another teacher with any resources, then having to teach remotely won’t be so bad after all. If I can help other athletes/runners feel connected, then social distancing won’t be so lonely after all.

Yesterday, I got news that I wouldn’t be returning to school on April 1st like we originally had thought; now, we’ll be doing distant learning until at least April 17th. I was in a state of shock but also emotionless as I thought about what this could mean for my students, but then, as I was organizing my desk at home, it hit me. Some of these kids already dread being at home and school was their safe haven. For some of these kids, our school was literally their second home– with meals provided– from 7:45am to 6:00pm when we would close up the school for the night. When I say it hit me, I mean I curled up and cried. I sobbed thinking about not seeing my kids or being able to comfort them in these weird and scary times. I sobbed thinking about my own childhood and how I hated being home when I was in high school because of my parents’ constant arguing and my own arguing with my mom and siblings. I know kids say, “I hate school,” but I know a lot of them love the social aspect of it and seeing their friends. I love being able to interact with them on a daily basis and joke with them and build connections. Honestly, I’m not worried that they won’t learn because I know when push comes to shove, they’ll follow through. What I’m most worried about is their mental health. They’re human before students and they already have so many questions about this ever changing world that we know; all I can do is hope I have the answers or resources to help answer these questions and continue to support them. I am gathering a list of resources to help them, so if you have any to share, please comment below.

My running and workout has come to a halt. Orangetheory has closed their studios, and although they are providing online videos to do at home, it’s not the same. I’ve been working out with Body Boss, but I miss my classes. I was supposed to run the Nike LA 13.1 Half Marathon at the beginning of April, but that’s been cancelled. I ran the LA Marathon 10 days ago on March 8th, and I was supposed to use the April 5th half marathon to keep training for the Chicago Marathon in October. My mental strength is being tested, but I know it’s for the best. As of now, the October marathon is still on, so I must find a way to keep training. I must keep fundraising for pediatric cancer research because even though we’re going through this pandemic, other illnesses continue. Peds are still working with children who have cancer. Oncology is still working with adults who have cancer (shout out to Dr. Naina Mahngar). Other doctors are dealing with other illnesses. I’m not going to lie, stepping outside terrifies me and that’s why I haven’t gone for an outdoor run yet, but I’m going to have to suck it up and try. Tomorrow, I have plans to do so. We’ll see how it goes.

If you’ve read this all, thank you. If you feel inspired to share your thoughts, please feel free to leave a comment. I need all the social interaction I can get. ❤ One love.