By Beth Kalikstein
PROMPT — During COVID-19 ...
Setting in is the Zoom fatigue Since all day technology is out of my league, Professionals have dubbed it a real phenomenon Since your attention and awareness are always on. In regular conversations and in meetings It all depends on your seating. You can look down or even give a side glare. Of your every facial expression, you don’t need to be hyperaware. When the number of people is more than a bunch And you’re desperately trying to eat some lunch It’s tough to know how to sit and where to look And you end up scrolling through people, like pages in a book. Adjusting the camera, making sure your angle is just right Scrambling to organize so your background is a sight That you don’t mind if other people see Since other parts of your house are messy as can be!
Beth Kalikstein is a fourth-grade special education teacher who co-teaches with a classroom teacher. It is a great age to teach because the kids are curious, ask a lot of questions, and still enjoy school and their teachers. Outside of school, Beth enjoys taking nature photography, reading, listening to music, doing calligraphy, using adult coloring books, seeing theater and musicals, singing along to a cappella music, and playing Scrabble. This poem was written on her iphone during one of her daily walks in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.