The pandemic and its impact on caretakers
As the old adage goes, it takes a village to raise a child. I am the mother to three tiny humans, and never have I felt the weight of this sentiment as much as I am during this pandemic. I am fortunate to live near my family and friends, and have come to rely on them heavily as my children have grown over the years. Being a full-time working mother allows me to set a beautiful example for my children AND is really, really hard. During this quarantine life, I haven't been able to lean on my neighbor to watch the kids while I run to the store; or on my parents to swing by and bring Saturday morning snacks and laughter; or on time outside of my home to decompress with my friends. It has been taxing, to say the least, to try and balance being a teacher to my students and my children, to care for my team and my family, to manage my work and my kids' work. In some ways, I feel like I'm failing at all of it.
But the silver lining - as there always is a silver lining - is the lessons learned. The lessons so many of you have shared with your teammates, with our families, with our students. Things like slowing down to appreciate what really matters. Noticing how important it is to care for ourselves because you can't pour from an empty cup. Prioritizing social-emotional well-being for our students before diving into content to ensure the stage is set for learning. And what's even more important is the opportunities to connect and bond over these lessons with our families. I can't tell you how many IEP meetings I've been in lately where parents have shared an exasperated "we're hanging there" when asked how things are going, and I've been able to say "I'm a mom too -- I get it" and hear a sign of relief and release. Our community is cemented as the Match Network, and that is what brought all of us together in the beginning, but there are other ways that we are connected as well, one powerful one being motherhood.
Being without my village has been tough, as I'm sure it has been for so many of our teachers, families, single parents, and other caretakers. What gives me hope is these brief moments of connection, of other mothers telling me "you're doing great" and "it'll be okay." Of my team reminding me that I'm a true superhero, somehow surviving when I feel like I'm drowning. I am endlessly thankful for the community that Match has become to me, and I'm sure our families would share that sentiment.
While I may not have my usual village by my side right now, I feel hopeful and grateful that for our families, for right now, we may be all the village that they need.
Samantha Bracy, Special Education Director at Match Community Day
