My intention was to write this blog post after the first week of the hybrid schedule. I thought I’d ruminate about something significant, like student engagement, pros/cons of full remote vs. face-to-face, or how I explain my standards-based grading system to my students. But honestly, right now all that is on my mind is how utterly exhausted I am. Why am I so tired? I am a healthy, fit woman who does all the things a woman my age is supposed to do. What is going on? We shut our school on March 13^th, 2020, exactly 6 months ago today. I didn’t find the change too onerous, as I had been recording and using video lessons since 2012 and working in a 1-to-1 laptop district for the past 13 years. Certainly, it was scary due to the unknowns about the virus, and stressful because of its suddenness.  Even with my catalog of video lessons, I still needed to create a lot of new material, especially labs, which meant I was working frantically. Another major issue was that I didn’t know how to reach the 5-10% of my students who simply disappeared. Chasing down these ghosts took a lot of time and emotional energy. However, the single biggest change was the switch to a sedentary day. In school, my physical classroom is a decent size, approximately 8 m (24 feet) square.  I spent my day walking, back and forth, round and round, often clocking 3 miles while working with students. The sudden shift to virtual school meant, physically, a sudden end to my wandering feet, a planting of my bottom in a chair for 8 hours a day. I understand that many people have jobs that require them to park in front of a desk, but I have never wanted what I considered “a desk job”. I love the dynamic and active nature of the classroom, and long ago gave up high heels for more practical shoes for long hours on my feet. No complaints there. So, by April, my body was hurting from the change. Sitting in front of the screen, designing lessons, recording videos, responding to emails, or teaching a virtual lesson, I was trapped in my chair. My back, my neck, and my hips were all tight, locked up from the lack of movement. It didn’t help that my gym was closed, of course, and the weather was not yet very pleasant in New Jersey. Gradually, with the help of a daily exercise routine, which included a HIIT session, stretching, foam rolling, and long walks, I adjusted. The weather began to change, becoming warmer and more pleasant. And then, Voila! summer came, freeing me from the desk, and opening up a world of outdoor activities as well as rest and relaxation. That was fantastic and I felt great until late August, when I starting getting emails and having to attend meetings, trying to plan for the upcoming school year. (Did you get as anxious as I did? I’ll have to discuss that in a separate post. Let’s stick to the physical effects of teaching for now. Focus!) So here we are, arriving back to school, and it’s early in September. Our school has a hybrid schedule, requiring me to be with a cohort of students in a morning session which runs from 8:20-12:15pm, and a remote session in the afternoon from 1:30 – 2:55pm. (We are allowed to choose whether to teach the afternoon from our classrooms or from home.) I generally teach 3 out of the 4 hours in the morning. As I have for years, I planned to arrive at work at 7:20 am and stay until 3:30 pm, using any and all non-teaching time to prepare lessons, grade work, and otherwise be productive. The impetus is primarily so I didn’t bring work home with me. I was extremely successful with that for the past 2 years (since we ironed out our SBG system) and want to maintain the work-home separation and balance. My body said “No $%&@ way!” Daily, I slumped exhausted in the uncomfortable student chairs, staring at my screen blankly. Despite my resolve, by 12:30, I packed up my stuff and went home, eager to get back to the comfort and security of my tiny home office space. How is it that I cannot remain on my feet, projecting my enthusiasm, engaging with kids, for 3 measly hours? Is it the repetition? Is the talking through a mask? Is it the lack of energy of the students? Is it the anonymity of the faces before me? Maybe it’s because I have no idea how what I’m doing is being received? While all those things are true, I just think it’s purely physical. I needed a nap. I simply was out of shape for teaching! I assume it will get better. I hope it will. I would like to not require a 20-minute snooze in order to rejuvenate. Although, hey, it is kinda nice to have that freedom and I suppose I shouldn’t denigrate it too much! I sit in my La-Z-Boy, kick up my feet, and set a timer for 20-minutes. Check out, waking slowly, feeling peaceful. Maybe not so bad. Maybe it’s a good thing to have that break, instead of going-going-going like the Energizer Bunny, never stopping to let my body truly rest. Recharged, I get back in my chair, at my desk at home, in front the computer, ready to work with my virtual classes and create the artifacts needed to engage them for the following days’ lessons. When we go back to full days in the classroom, maybe I need to bring my La-Z-Boy with me.