Miracles in the (Pandemic) Mundane

It's been part of my intentional perspective to look for miracles in the mundane. Those seemingly insignificant moments can change a mood or bring a smile, and they always shift a point of view. This intention while teaching during a pandemic changed everything. I saw life differently and the miracles seemed more vivid and important. 

This year of teaching has been full of pivots with multiple changes to schedules, routines, and expectations. We've been 100% remote so we taught through Zoom. We were hybrid so kids were in school 2 days a week. And next month we are going back 100% in-person meaning ALL kids every day...Yeah, like regular school, but not at all. Teachers will still have to rotate rooms, kids don't get a passing period or lockers or see anyone else outside of their cohort classroom. It's not "back to normal," not by a long shot. But we pivot and we adjust and we know we will continue to have resilience as we learn together. 

Because of all the pivots, I didn't get to teach my poetry elective so my poor students have had to endure the places I shove poetry at them like a parent disguising vegetables in a meal. "No! I swear this is normal spaghetti! It just smells like cauliflower, it's delicious!"

 "Yes! All the kids in the 8th grade have to write a poem! It's part of the curriculum! It's fine!"

My disguises worked. 

We didn't have to reach for inspiration because 22-year-old Amanda Gorman led the way perfectly. We read and analyzed the poem she read at the 2021 inauguration, The Hill We Climb to start our social justice unit. From there we read her poem Miracle of Morning which she wrote in April of 2020 as a way to put words to our new normal.  She plays on the words morning and mourning, so I asked my students to write a poem with that in mind. They were to reflect on the last year and recognize the morning and mourning we endured together and answer the question:  What has this year been like for you? 

I wanted to share some of their poems here because it turns out they had a lot to say and every word is a miracle.

_______________________

Our New Normal

Six AM. 

Wake up again.

Up and ready for school.

This is school now.

That’s what they said.

That’s what they told me.

I don’t see faces, I see screens. 

The screens that echo out my name.

No one wants to answer.

The boy on the corner sighs.

He wanted to see his father.

Flying to New York.

He's his favorite.

The one time he can see him.

Glancing at the headline, 

“Airports Close Due To Virus”.

“Not this time buddy”.

His phone echos to him.

He hangs up the call.

My mother screams yet again.

We have woken her at noon.

She still can’t sleep.

We are too loud for her.

We are now at home.

I walk too loud.

My brother talks too loud.

She has been working twice as hard.

The rest of the department is gone.

Is she next? It echos.

She attempts to sleep again.

The owner of the shop looks around.

He really shouldn’t be here.

He just rents the space.

It has been months.

He still can’t open the shop.

The flowers he left here are withering.

The Open/Closed sign echos goodbye.

He leaves the keys on the counter.

_____~ART~_____

This Year

The Covid-19 pandemic has taken so much from me, my family, and my friends.

And I’m only in 8th grade. 

I remember at the start of March 2020 we heard of this thing called the coronavirus.

We got two weeks off of school.

It is now March of 2021, and we are still trying to get through.

No matter what way you look at it, this year had some really low, lows.

But there were still different things to smile about, for each and every one of us.

Together, we pushed through the toughest part.

Being fully online, feeling stuck.

And we still talked to friends, just in new ways.

We stayed together as a world.

We tried to find new hobbies.

Some succeeded, some failed, but at least we tried.

I think we can all agree with the weirdness and suck of 2020,

but we have 9 more months of 2021 to look forward to.

Things are already looking up. 

Schools everywhere are going back to full in person. Covid numbers are dropping.

And even though this pandemic will change our lives for what seems like forever,

we still have a lot to look forward to.

It can’t get worse than this. Right?

But if it does get even worse,

we’ll do that together too.

______~CF~______

Waking Up in the Morning...

Waking up in the morning...

Knowing every day is the same.

Knowing that my family is counting on me.

Knowing that my parents expect the best of me.

Knowing that I have to be a better role model for my brother.

It's all Tiring. 

Waking up in the morning...

When you always have to have a smile on your face from the start.

Whether it's pretended or real; it makes people feel better.

Smiles have a meaning behind them, that when it shows on your face you're having a good time.

Many people believe that when someone is smiling they are automatically happy when a lot can hide behind it.

Waking up in the morning...

New day, same things happening, every day is the same.

“Do something different!”

“Go on a walk!”

“Turn in your work!”

No motivation going through your head, I just want to do nothing.

Waking up in the morning...

Everything is on repeat when the same thing is happening.

I have stopped noticing the good things that come 

and that is because 

Every day is the same. 

____~JD~___

352

I awake once again same room, same bed.

I let quarantine get the best of me, social media ingrained in my head.

352 days in the same house; seasons, holidays, birthdays passing by.

Have I been asleep all year?

Nothing feels real, I need to open my eyes.

Nonetheless, there is a fresh start with every sunrise.

Watching the sky glowing pink, orange, and white.

A sense of security, that everything will be alright.

Days pass by, almost identical to before.

But maybe, just maybe my life won't be such a bore.

As the sunrise feels warmer on this sleepy morning.

It's been 352 days, what's a few more? 

The light at the end of the tunnel that has never been here before

seems closer and closer.

Let’s see what’s in store.

____~LC~____

Miracles?

Days go by as I drown in my sorrows.

Days turn into months as I see the bubbles floating to the surface.

I can’t wait for the day where someone lifts me out of the world.

Sports being canceled.

Deep depression becomes the new normal.

I lay here in my sorrows for what is tomorrow.

The morning has come. 

Just another terrible day. 

I look outside and pray.

For the sun is shining, animals all around.

God is there. 

I think I have been found.

My eyes fill with tears.

The happiness like a lifeboat.

I am being lifted from the strong current trying to pull me down.

I am new. 

The one you see has thick skin. 

We will win.

We are in the future. 

_____~JL~_____

Every Day

Waking up in the morning

too lazy to eat breakfast.

Trying to stay awake while listening to your teachers. 

Struggling to get your work done but your phone distracts you

and missing assignments overwhelm you.

The long days at school are over.

All you want to do is see your friends.

You watch movies with your family.

And pet your dog.

Dinners outside bring your napkins to the floor.

The sun is going down.

Showering brings happiness to know it's the end of the day.

Tiktoks keep you creeping awake. 

Till you fall asleep for the same thing to happen every day.

_____~JH~_____

As One

It is together that we can thrive.

Being fortunate enough to go through this time of mourning 

as one.

We can no longer act as individuals but instead as a community, a country.

 It is as a country that we can wake up and see hope.

Hope for our society, our economy, our world.

I find confidence in knowing everyone is going through the struggles together.

 We can't let fear overcome our strong country. 

Struggles and mourning are something to expect in every part of our life but overcoming it as one is something only the strongest can do.

Grasping onto challenges using them to make them stronger is something that gives me hope.  Without movement as a whole nothing will ever change.

 We need to wake up and see that we can make a change. 

When surprise and fear are gone there is nothing left but obligations towards our country.

The fate of our country depends on our dedication to it. 

It is friendship and unity and strength and courage and integrity that holds us together. 

____~AS~____

Find the Happies

A quiet morning with light shining through my window,

knowing the day will be rough I also know I’ll pull through.

All the little happies,

the things that make me smile, that make me laugh, that’s what helps me.

My friends, my family, constant things that make me smile.

Because even in the darkest times, there’s a light.

They can’t exist without each other,

so know that there will be someone holding a flashlight.

Find the little happies,

and move on with your wonderful morning,

knowing that you are loved here

and on the other side.

________~BM~________

It's Our Job

Everyone struggles together, regardless of the issues.

It's everyone's job to come together to help.

Standing against those who bring hate,

yet balancing that while standing with those who bring love.

Regardless of skin, religion,  and beliefs.

Everyone needs a crutch of support.

It is everyone's job to come together to help

in the face of the problems.

Hold hands together.

Wipe tears together.

Mourn together.

Most importantly, come together to help those who need it.

____~KH~_____

Miracles.

I wake up to my 7:45 alarm.

It’s time for on-line school. 

It really doesn’t have the same charm.

Open up the computer and look at the date

March 2nd.

Try to find out the next time I’ll see my classmates.

Hey, at least I’m at home.

With my family, my pets, and the comfort of my bed.

Used to not appreciate it.

Guess this pandemic has been changing my head.

Is it a good thing?

I think I’m just being misled.

For some reason, I’m more respected.

Being at home with my family

we’re more connected.

The little things mean more.

But I've been in this pandemic so long

I feel like a dinosaur.

_____~HF~_____

Friends

The miracle in my mourning is my close friends.

The way that they are able to cheer me up each time I'm feeling down.

The way that they show me that I’m cared for and appreciated each time around.

They always make me laugh and they always make me smile.

They are my miracle.

_______~JA_______

Hope Can Carry You A Long Way

In the wake of the morning, a fresh start always greets you

with a nice warm soothing thought.

Starting over means new chances and greater things to accomplish,

however, things come from all sides trying to knock us down.

With the morning comes new demons that we all fight.

But, there is always a light at the end of the seemingly endless tunnel.

This tunnel may seem long and the light may seem dim,

but there are always positive notes to look at and positive things that happen every day.

Don't worry about the finished project,

instead, worry about the projects that are given to you today.

If you focus on the little things, the bigger things fall into place.

As the day closes and you fall asleep, you can't help but think, “Will this ever end?” 

A lot of times all people need is a little hope.

Hope can carry you a long way.

________~SM~_______

Was Today Going to be Better? 

Rising up from my mattress after a sleep that was well needed.

Was today going to be better? 

I guess we’ll have to see. 

What happened the day before shall not reflect the next morning.

A new, fresh era does not have room for mourning.

Misery filled my dreams the night before.

But now’s the time to explore:

New wonders and opportunities to solve what we mourn.

Don’t back down, don’t turn around.

There is still a full day that is bound to be great.

We’ll get through this together.

However, keep in mind, bad days will come like rain with the weather.

We won’t be stopped until we make it to the top.

So wake up each day with new hopes and goals.

And pray that miracles will enter our souls.

______~TD~______

Miracles in the Mundane

To wake up in the same routine but knowing there’s no knowing

is perplexing.

But to find the good in our neighborhood despite the restrictions

feels like connecting. 

The hearts on the windows. 

The 6-foot hellos.

The 8:00 howls. 

The movies we chose.

This feels like hope. Like a morning anew.

The simplest of miracles show us the way and give us a clue.

Finding the depths of gratitude in the midst of the grief

This means we are the miracles in the mundane; like the turning of a leaf. 

______~KJL~______

Pretty amazing, right? The ways they captured the hope and heartache, the changes and new normals. This generation will forever be marked by the pandemic and I think they will continue to teach us all about what it means to be resilient and hopeful.

Thank you, sweet 8th grade class, of 2020-21 for giving me these poetic, miraculous words, even if it was against your will.