Plexiglass at cafeteria tables, mask-wearing schoolgoers, and digital classrooms are a few of the latest culminations of COVID-19.  Three teachers from our school attest to the alterations in education amid the global panic.

“ [On-campus learning] is certainly different this year, but I am glad to be back with students,” history teacher Dustin Hurley said.  In his opinion, online learning makes grading more difficult, but once the bugs are out of the way, it can be an effective educational method.

“Adapting [to] everything has created a mountain of work for your teachers,” Hurley said.  Albeit the new challenges he faces, he believes the school is doing the best it can and that everyone can still have a great year.

“We will adapt and overcome whatever obstacles we face,” algebra teacher Douglas Neuman said.  In his opinion, the smaller class sizes make one-on-one interactions between teachers and students easier.  

The district provides all staff members with personal protective equipment and safety protocols to follow, and Neuman thinks, in regard to safety, that “everyone is doing the best they can with the information they have.”  

Although “sometimes it is frustrating,” Neuman enjoys learning how to teach with the utilization of  technology because “it is very rewarding when you see the successful result[s] of your work.”

“Unless I sacrifice time with my family, I am barely able to get all the necessary tasks completed,” English teacher Jessica Jette said in regard to her workload; she works as soon as she wakes up and has to choose whether she wants to sacrifice time with her family.  

Additionally, Jette disapproves of how the pandemic forces students to choose between the “best form of instruction” (on-campus learning, according to her research) and health and safety.  Nonetheless, Jette enjoys the smaller quantities of students per room, which make her feel like a “better teacher” in regard to management as well as better familiarization with her students.

  While numerous teachers deal with unforeseen Coronavirus issues, they manage to find positive aspects in their situations, ranging from the benefits of online learning on class sizes to health and safety to simply seeing students again.  As Neuman puts it: “Courage, confidence, and a positive ‘I can do this’ attitude will go a long way in keeping us safe and healthy.”