Teacher stuck in “Groundhog Day time loop”

Q: I know we’re in a better place than March 2020. We understand COVID better. We’ve moved on to a new, less dangerous variant. We have vaccines and boosters and mitigation plans in place (leaving aside the fact that they’re subpar, at least in my public school district). And yet, I feel like I’m stuck in a Groundhog Day time loop, reliving the same damn thing over and over again: The worry that I’ll get sick; the worry that my kids will get sick (now that benefits for teachers who need to take COVID-related leave have expired); the fear that we’ll go back to virtual teaching (which I despise, and which made teaching students in-person even harder when they returned), and the frustration about inadequate staffing (which was a problem long before COVID but is absurd now).  

However, all of that pales in comparison to the feeling of being stuck. We were right on the cusp of things feeling more normal. Younger kids were getting vaccinated. Older teens and teachers were getting booster shots. I was seeing my own friends and family more. And then, BOOM! Holiday plans had to be canceled, and I missed yet another chance to see my family. New Year’s Plans were canceled as well, along with plans to celebrate my husband’s 45th birthday with several close friends. My own kids were so excited to be playing basketball on a rec team this winter, but I just got word that their league is in “wait-and-see mode.” And we’re seeing the same online vitriol about teachers that we saw when schools were last in hybrid mode.  

So, I’m feeling this combination of dread for myself, disappointment for my children, low morale (because educators continue to be made scapegoats for everything under the sun), and sheer exhaustion. Meanwhile, my district is plowing ahead as if nothing was wrong. I don’t know how to get out of this funk, and I used to be a pretty happy, grateful person. How are we still in the same situation, and how can I get myself out of this headspace?