Meme Assignment American Folklore.pdf

Media

Part of Pandemic Meme reflection

extracted text

Description: A black SUV has white writing on the back side window of the vehicle that reads “You
lied – My kids are not a joy to have in class.” With frowny faces in the open spaces on the
window.
Reflection:
I chose the meme above because it captured my initial experience with the pandemic and
schools shutting down perfectly. This meme captured the essence of transitioning to online school
and the effects on the mental and emotional well-being of a family. The pandemic is a very
serious matter but having a little fun joking around and making memes helped a lot of people
cope with having their lives changed so drastically.
Pre-pandemic kids would often get sent home with the basic teacher response saying
“Your kid is a joy to have in class” on their report card. When the pandemic hit, and social
distancing rules had to be implemented in schools. Children had to transition to online learning
because they were not allowed to attend school in person. While children transitioned to online
learning their parents became like their second teachers because they would have to help the
younger children with their lessons. This captured my pandemic experience perfectly because I
was in the house with all my siblings at once (often in the same room) helping them with their
school with my mom. We quickly realized that my siblings did not listen very well to instructions
and if they acted the way they were acting while we taught them as they did in school… They
could not be a joy to have in class. I do not know if it was a combination of being at home and
feeling very comfortable with family, but they were horrible. They did not listen they stood up
and walked around whenever they wanted, and they were very disrespectful. They did not follow
instructions and would get very angry if they were corrected. If they acted that way in my
classroom, I would not have wanted to have them in my classroom.
The kid's behavior was out of character for them. The pandemic took a toll on everyone
and affected everyone differently. It was an extreme emotional adjustment for me and my
family. My siblings have always been “social butterflies” and since they were sent home for
distance learning and only given the option to socialize with their family, they could have felt
trapped. This trapped feeling along with the sudden and new change could have been a major

factor influencing why they behaved so poorly for my mom and me. It is a major emotional
adjustment, especially for kids who might not know how to regulate their emotions yet get
stripped from everything normal that they know so suddenly. Their frequent outburst of emotions
during the lessons could also be explained by the lack of environmental stimulation that they
would normally have at school. They went from a big school with multiple rooms, a gym, and an
outdoor area to their own home that they have seen since birth. It was no longer exciting to learn
because you had the same boring environment. To a certain degree, I don’t blame my siblings for
how they acted, they were just trying to feel something. However, their actions influenced
everyone in the family. If they were acting crazy, it stressed my mom out. Which in turn stressed
my siblings out even more because they picked up on her stress. Then at the end of the day,
everyone is stressed out because my mom and I would complain to my dad about their actions
after he had come home from a stressful day at work as an essential worker.
In conclusion, this meme lets someone have a glimpse into a family dynamic when the
pandemic initially hit. I have a newfound appreciation for teachers especially the ones that must
teach my siblings. It also opens your mind to parents that the “perfect little angels” that they
raised might not have been “perfect little angels.” I can only speak for my family but my siblings
are definitely not a joy to have in class.