In March of 2020, my youngest daughter came home from school with a high fever and complained that it was hard to breathe. We called our doctor’s office and after hearing all her symptoms, she said that it would probably be safer to keep her at home then bring her into the doctor’s office.
Hours later, Ann Arbor Public Schools closed and the next day one of our daughter’s classmates brought over her supplies and anything else left behind. She also brought her a stack of library books. The school wanted to make sure students had plenty to read since soon, everything would be shut down. It would be too dangerous to share stories.
Almost two years later and I think this stack of books that we were to keep to ourselves serves as a profound metaphor for what it’s like to be a student and a teacher in the time of covid. How and what can be shared? What has been lost now that we are all doing our best to protect ourselves and others?
One teacher, who wishes to remain anonymous, fled one district for another one because she was so burnt out. She is now teaching online and enjoying finding ways to cultivate hands on and communal learning that is critical in early learners. “We do a lot of paper and pencil activities to work on handwriting. We do guided drawings to work on concentration and direction following. We do small group work and breakout sessions to build community and allow for socializing. I spend a lot of time communicating to parents how they can support learning through play at home. It is not perfect, but students (the ones that come daily) have had tremendous growth.”
She said that her previous district’s urgency to follow the guidelines came at the cost of the teachers. “I was being pulled into meeting after meeting to find solutions to impossible problems. We kept hearing about ‘self care,’ but it seemed like more of a buzzword. My work life was beyond messed up and I was sick to my stomach at the thought of returning in the fall.” She says now she is in a situation where she can focus solely on teaching and her students.
Thomas Morgan, the Communications Consultant at the Michigan Education Association says that many teachers are leaving teaching all together because of the burnt out. “The latest estimates we’ve seen show that Michigan is losing 10,000 teachers a year due to retirement or changing careers, and we’re only taking in about 5,000 new teachers annually,” he says. “The math is easy to do, and it shows we’re on a perilous path.”
Another teacher who also prefers to remain anonymous says that after more than a year of virtual learning, early elementary students have missed many of their early learning milestones. “They have to be given extra time to learn basic skills such as sharing, taking turns, writing their names and holding their pencils correctly,” she says.
On top of that, the students are trying to follow all the protocols and procedures ranging from masks and social-distancing mandates, seating charts, numbered spots on the floor, and strict lunch expectations.
This affects the teachers, too, and the challenges and obstacles teachers are now facing have become insurmountable. “All the grace that was initially bestowed upon us seems to have disappeared. Assessment mandates, learning targets and mountains of paperwork are still heaped on top of the ever-growing list of mandates, despite the added daily struggles teachers now face alongside their students.”
“Educators have already been dealing with budget cuts, evaluations, standardized testing, the threat of school violence and so much more,” Morgan says. “Then COVID-19 hit, along with remote learning, masking debates, illnesses and deaths, and everything else that comes with it. I hear it every single day in my conversations with MEA members: Teachers and school support staff across Michigan are at a breaking point.”
He goes on: “All of this places our children’s future at risk. We as a state must do more to recruit new educators into the profession, as well as to keep good teachers in the classroom. And we must do it now. That means increasing compensation for school employees, for both veteran staff and new educators. It means politicians listening to the voices of educators when crafting education policy. And it means respecting teachers and school support staff for the professionals they are.”
A third teacher, who will also remain anonymous, speaks of the many societal inequities that the pandemic has illuminated in schools. In many instances, engagement online is dependent on remembering to take home a school-issued Chromebook and charger, or having access to a family computer as well as access to reliable, consistent wi-fi. There must be an adult who is able to stay home from work and be available to help students stay on task.
Many socio-economic issues have been exacerbated as well. While many teachers have made sure students are fed, have warm winter gear, and ensure support services for students in need; this has been made more difficult due to the lack of data that exists because of the loss of in-person schooling.
The anonymous teacher stated, “I do not begrudge the district for any of the Covid policies in place. They are an attempt to keep us as safe and healthy as possible. Is it easy to educate students during Covid? Nope. Is it easy for teachers to flip back-and-forth between virtual and in-person learning, as needed? Nope. None of it is easy, and yet everyone is doing their very best to make it work for all,” she says. “It is truly humbling, hopeful, and life-giving to see teachers continue to pour their all into their students, under such extreme circumstances.”
