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Collected Item: “Education changed”

Give your story a title.

Education changed

What sort of object is this: text story, photograph, video, audio interview, screenshot, drawing, meme, etc.?

audio

Tell us a story; share your experience. Describe what the object or story you've uploaded says about the pandemic, and/or why what you've submitted is important to you.

It was my first year teaching middle school history. I was bright-eyed, excited, and felt like I had finally found my calling in life. I went into spring break with such an excited feeling about my new career path. Coming from retail, I could finally have time to spend with my family and not have to worry about making a quota. Then the email came. We would be moving to distance learning and I would not get the chance to finish my first year as an educator with my first group of kids. The sound I most remember was the Google Meets login when someone joined. That sound will forever be associated with the pandemic. The sound I had never heard before became the sound that brought me joy as I was finally able to make sure my students were okay. I remember that sound and immediately checking to see who was logging in. It brought mixed feelings of compassion, empathy, and sadness. Even as we started to get back into the classroom, nothing would ever be the same as it once was. But that sound, that one quick sound, brought on the emotions of this educator. And I hope I will never have to hear that sound again.

Use one-word hashtags (separated by commas) to describe your story. For example: Where did it originate? How does this object make you feel? How does this object relate to the pandemic?

Arizona State University, HST 643, Sensory History, Educator, Google Meets, Middle School, Teacher

Enter a URL associated with this object, if relevant.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJ1QvNXD1Hk

Who originally created this object? (If you created this object, such as photo, then put "self" here.)

Samuel Allen

Give this story a date.

2020-03-21
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