By Nicole Mitchell
Most mornings, I wake up early. I do this so I have time to care for myself before I care for my students. I do yoga, journal, water my garden, drink coffee in bed while I read inspiring things that are not about teaching elementary school. I let myself feel successful and nourished. Then I log onto Zoom, content and ready to be my best teacher self.
But today is Friday, May 29. Earlier this week, George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis, the latest in a string of recorded police brutality against Black people. Protests are erupting across the world. I text friends in the Twin Cities and ask them if they are safe. I get snared watching Instagram stories, feeling fear, grief, and anger rise. I fight these feelings, because soon it will be time to get on Zoom. I do not know how to do my job and feel these things simultaneously.
Nicole Mitchell is a queer, mixed-race Asian and white woman. She just completed her second year in the classroom. She teaches 2nd grade at a Mandarin immersion school in the San Francisco Bay area.
