Spooks are universal. They pop out from dark corners. They leap out from behind doors. They turn our hair gray with shock and awe. They creep in, unexpected, placing on us a heavy layer of doubt. A lot of people love scary movies- the adrenaline. They love roller coasters and haunted houses this time of year. The value of a scream, shrill, and flight or fight response is big money. Many pay large sums to be scared out of their wits.
I don't particularly enjoy the thrill of a scare. I like to be scared watching a movie if it is purposeful. But the jump scares and sudden needless violence- not my cup of tea. I also do not like being blindsided. Having senseless rules. I am a rule follower. Sometimes I think about breaking a rule, just a small, insignificant one- but I don't. It's that ethical, value in honesty and guilt upbringing I endured. I believe in being good, in staying positive, in believing in people. Yes, I believe most people are good.
I know that times are outrageously tumultuous these days- and spooks- real life- spooky times are upon us. We are asked to do things we have never been asked to do before- as educator and as human beings. We are feeling those jump scares and ghostly figures as they crouch behind us, waiting for their moment. I feel them. For a long time they are all I felt. But, I have settled into a routine now, and they are at bay.
There are a lot of hidden spooks in education. Expectations have jumped ten-fold and our endurance can't keep up. We are juggling so many things that when we want to lie down and rest- we are aware we can't, no substitutes, no vacation, no time to lose. So much curriculum, so much data collection, evaluation paperwork: expectations, expectations, expectations. And as much as we feel utterly bogged down in the quagmire- I understand the necessity of it all. I just feel overwhelmed by it- its a spook.
The amount of parental frustration and expectation is at an all time high. I know I have two children still school aged. I want communicate- but not too much. I want less homework for my kids- but enough to keep the flow and learning happening (I hate the frivolous). We are in a constant state of email, phone call and Zoom conferencing, more than in the past. For virtual learning is not just a challenge for us to teach- but for many students to traverse- self regulation and personal responsibility is new to many. Spook, spook.
So as we as educators, duck and dodge the swinging ghostly figures of times past- we must open the door and let the bright, full moon bathe us in hope. For change never happens in a vacuum or a path well-trodden. It is the hidden corners that steer us in a different direction. The haunting howls of ghouls and zombies that keep us running. We have to accept these monsters and hounds of hell as a sign- not that we are failing but that we are succeeding.
No matter the thickness of spider web or dry ice fog- we always make it out of the shadow and we always end up with a bag of treats. We just have to keep looking, keep asking, keep walking up the various paths to the doors of progress. For they will open. Some may say trick and try to steer us away from our goals- but most will offer a treat of inspiration and action. So fill up your goodie bag and get ready- the season of growth is upon us and its not ending anytime soon.
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