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0012-03-20

The Day the World Changed

On March 12th, 2020, I found out the fate of the remainder of my first spring semester as a college student. I don’t remember much about days during quarantine, but I do remember specific details of this day. It was the week before Spring Break for UAB, and all students were preparing for a week off from school. That weekend, my family was planning a trip to New Orleans for the weekend as my mother’s employer offered her a free two-night stay at any hotel of her choosing. My dad and I were planning to finally visit the National World War Two Museum. As my friend and I were walking to dinner at a local poke place in Five Points South, I received my first email that my English class would remain virtual for the remainder of the semester. My professor had Type 1 Diabetes and did not want to risk his health. Shortly after, the entire student body of UAB received an email that students would not return to campus until April 1st, 2020, at the earliest. While some students decided to pack up all of their belongings and take them home with them, others truly believed we would be coming back on April 1st. I decided not to take my belongings with me and traveled four hours to my hometown for the extended break. I went home that Friday, March 13th, 2020, after taking my midterm for Biological Anthropology. Once I arrived home, my parents made the decision to cancel our trip as the spread of COVID-19 was unknown at this time, and they did not want to risk going to a public and crowded place like New Orleans. Instead, my father and I traveled four hours back to Birmingham to pack up my dorm room and bring my belongings home. At this time UAB had completely shut down and was limiting access to campus and the dorms. They only allowed me 15 minutes to get any belongings needed. After that trip, UAB officially closed for the remainder of the term and students belongings were moved out of the dorms by moving companies to make room for healthcare workers. We did not get the chance to go on our New Orleans trip until over two years later, in 2022. I planned a big trip for my 21st birthday with my friends and family. While most restrictions have been lifted, people were still wearing masks, and businesses were still enforcing the three- to six-foot social distancing. I wasn’t surprised, as just earlier in the year, my employer required face masks for the spike in COVID cases in Birmingham. I remember going to restaurants and we were required to wait outside for our table. In the National World War Two museum, there were stickers on the floor that represented how far we should stand from each other. While many of the restrictions, including the social distancing and wearing a mask, had been lifted, it was nice to see that people were still making it a point to follow them for the safety of themselves and others.

2021-06-14

Family Trip to Florida 2021

My father is a world class powerlifter who has podium placed at world championships before. He was planning to do the qualifier for the next world championship in 2020, but that was understandably delayed. When stay at home orders were lifted, he competed in the state level qualification event, in his case North Carolina, for the national championship. He had to lift in a mask, which was uncomfortable and potentially dangerous as lifters could not always get enough oxygen during and after a lift causing some to pass out and need medical attention. He did well enough in the qualifier to proceed to the national championship in Daytona Beach, Florida. On that trip, COVID restrictions were very few, if any, with the hotel, lifting event, and restaurants/stores not having mask mandates or vaccination checkpoints. Unfortunately, my dad did not win this championship. He did, however, come back the next year and won the 2022 championship in Orlando, Florida. When we went on that trip, COVID precautions were not really present at all, and it almost seemed life it was before COVID.

2022-05-20

The time I travelled to Punta Cana

When the restrictions were lifted, I took a trip to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic right after finishing my internship and getting ready to graduate. Originally, I was supposed to go in November with my family, but we couldn't because my parents and sister got COVID. Unfortunately, we had to reschedule the entire trip. During that time, I had to isolate in my room, wear a mask inside the house, and wash my hands frequently. This time, it was just us traveling. When we were getting ready to board the plane, we needed our vaccine cards. My dad got a bit worried, thinking I might have forgotten mine, and had a mild panic attack. In the area, many people weren't wearing masks since the requirements had been lifted and they were no longer mandatory. However, I still noticed quite a few people wearing masks, even boarding the flight. Our rooms were spacious; my parents had their own room, and my sisters and I had ours. We stayed at an all-inclusive resort, where drinks, food, and activities were available all day long. One memorable part of the trip was going on a boat excursion where we got to snorkel with other travelers and see various fish below us. It felt like COVID was a thing of the past, but there were still reminders like stickers and signs in both English and Spanish reminding us to stay six feet apart. Overall, it was a fun trip that helped take my mind off the stress of the pandemic, although there were still reminders here and there.

2021-03-11

Missouri Travels A Year After COVID

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down, and the world went into a global lock down. A year later, restrictions started being lifted and my mother and I traveled to Osage Beach Missouri, as well as the surrounding areas. Because Osage Beach was a tourist town on a lake most of the local attractions were closed due to it being the off season. It was March of 2021. Previously, my family had loved going to Missouri, but always had gone to Branson. We chose Osage Beach, however, because we could get free accommodations through my parents timeshare points. The day I remember most of the trip was traveling to St. Louis, Missouri to visit the St. Louis Zoo. The day before going we had to book a time slot in order to reduce our chances of being exposed to COVID and in order for the zoo to know approximately how many people were there. We did not have to wear medical masks outdoors, since we were fully vaccinated, but when in areas like the gift shop or some dining facilities we had to wear masks. If a zoo worker asked to see our COVID vaccine cards we had to show them or put on masks. After visiting the zoo, my mom and I went to a local pizza pub in Osage Beach that had St. Louis style pizzas. They were not as concerned about the COVID regulations and did not enforce any mask or social distancing policies that the St. Louis Zoo had. This was a theme of Missouri restrictions as I saw when I toured the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City. There I was not required to wear a mask or social distance, but group numbers were limited and reservations had to be made. Luckily my mother and I did not get COVID during the trip, but after a year of lock down and restrictions, the few restrictions still in place felt like a culture shock, even though I still lived in Texas at the time.

2020-10-22

Julian Adventure

Julian Adventure My story takes place in the fall of 2020 while many travel restrictions related to Covid-19 were still in place. Like everyone, my girlfriend and I, who are residents of San Diego, CA, had undergone lockdown for a period of time, only leaving the house for essential reasons. We worked from home, ate at home, and entertained ourselves at home. We avoided people as much as possible. Needless to say, after months of isolation, we needed to get out of the apartment. We decided to book an Airbnb in Julian, CA–a mountain retreat about an hour away from San Diego. Upon arriving at the Airbnb home, I remember we felt a bit nervous. How clean was it? Were there germs about? What if the owners did not disinfect the countertops? Driven by anxiety, we had brought our own cleaning supplies and went to work wearing gloves and masks. The place was already spotless, but cleaning it ourselves gave us a sense of control, a little certainty that we had done everything we could. The place sat on twenty-five acres of land with mountain views and horses about. We tried to feel at ease in our new environment and maintained limited, if any, contact with others. We avoided Julian town, but driving through it revealed significantly less people than usual. Although it was a nice getaway, the trip within the milieu of Covid-19 prevented us from fully relaxing.

2021-10-11

Disney Wedding 2021

My wife and I were supposed to go to her best friend's wedding in the fall of 2020. Well, with millions of other weddings and events that year, it had to be postponed. The wedding ended up taking place at Disney world in the fall of 2021. We flew from New York to Orlando, and I remember that everyone was still wearing masks in the airports and on the planes. And if I remember correctly masks were required on the plane for the whole ride. While staying on Disney property and in the parks, masks were required inside buildings. But outside you could have them off. During the wedding, which was on Disney property, we did have to wear masks for the ceremony, and while dancing, but at the tables, we could take them off. Still, it was a magical time, and the VIP access to the Epcot fireworks is still my favorite memory. Even now, in 2024, I will still wear a mask if I go on a plane again, or public transportation. That is something from the pandemic I think will definitely stick with me for the rest of my life.

2020-06-18

Florida to California

In June 2020, I had to drive from Florida to Northern California for a new job. I didn't fly for fear of Covid and I had a car to move. The journey took me 5 days. The first day was from Tampa Florida to Mobile Alabama, the second day was from Mobile Alabama to Dallas Texas. The third day was from Dallas Texas to Albuquerque New Mexico. The forth day from Albuquerque to Cedar City Utah where my sister lives. Finally from Cedar City Utah to Truckee California. Before the trip I had isolated myself for fear of getting sick while travelling which I feared greatly. My general approach was to eat breakfast at the hotel, get lunch in a drive through, and have uber eats deliver food to my hotel for dinner. Along the journey it was interesting to see how strict the rules were depended greatly on where you were. In Texas I stopped at a donut shop for coffee and found a large group of elderly men sitting around drinking coffee and eating donuts without a single mask to be found. This group was clearly not concerned about Covid. However, when i drove through Navajo country in Arizona, the rules were very strict and only drive through food options was available and I had difficulty finding an open bathroom in the entire area as no gas station or restaurant was allowing people inside. I also remember listening to E Street Radio on satellite radio and Bruce Springsteen was reading the obituaries of people who had died. I remember that being a striking moment throughout all of this.

Summer 2020

Culture at a Social Distance

My submissions for #lockdownstatenisland are two examples of creative measures local cultural institutions implemented in Summer 2020 to continue to serve the public safely outdoors. The first is the #WomenoftheNationArise outdoor exhibition at the Staten Island Museum. The gallery exhibition opened a week before lockdown during Women’s History Month - March 2020. Since the galleries had to be closed, the outdoor exhibit gave visitors to Snug Harbor Cultural Center had the chance to explore Staten Island’s role in the fight for women’s right to vote from a #socialdistance. The second is at Historic Richmond Town’s socially distanced recreation area. With picnic tables and chalk circles on the grass, Historic Richmond Town provided a safe outdoor space to enjoy fresh air, sunshine, a book, an ice cream cone, and some time with friends or loved ones.

May 2020

Family During Lockdown

Most of my lockdown experience was spent making sure my grandmother was taken care of. My siblings and I did not want out grandmother going out to run errands, so we did them for her, making sure to disinfect all items given to her before hand. We also knew that she was getting bored being in the house, with not being able to go to church events. We often took out dog or our cat to see her.

2022-06-25

To mask or not to mask

This is an Instagram post from sandawanaspa about masking. The company is saying that you no longer need a face mask as a requirement for their services.

2022-06-25

Church and COVID

This is a tweet from ChurchAndCovid. This account is trying to help people out in finding ways for people to protect themselves during worship services. The account recommends that instead of providing cloth or surgical masks, it would be more effective to have N95 and KN95 masks instead. Some churches have taken different approaches to COVID, and as we can see here, some churches practice more precaution than others.

2022-05-27

The scent of Clorox wipes

Sensory Memory for Pandemic Archive Smell of Clorox wipes One of the strongest sensory memories I have of the early pandemic months in spring and summer 2020 is the scent of Clorox wipes. During the pandemic, my father, in his 90’s, lived with my children and me in Albuquerque, NM. My dad had numerous health problems I was extremely concerned with his health and well-being. Early on, when wipes were in short supply, I hoarded the bright yellow canisters, some from the store and some from my son’s dorm room which he had to vacate. I used them daily to wipe the surfaces that we touched the most, such as door handles, the microwave, and refrigerator door and at first, even to wipe down the groceries that I had delivered to avoid going to the store. The scent of bleach with a layer of lemon that the wipes left behind became a satisfying sign—an illusion that I had some control over my family’s safety. Over time, when evidence of how COVID transmitted became clearer, I used the wipes for my father’s care—his inability to make it to the bathroom sometimes and wiping down the ever-growing stable of equipment Dad needed for daily life: an oxygen machine, lung drain kit, walker, portable commode. My dad passed away of in 2022, and while miraculously none of us ever did contract COVID, the smell of the wipes will always bring me back to that time of fear and uncertainty.

2022-05-25

My Hands Are Raw and I Can't Think

Listening to Marketplace on the radio each morning as I arrived at work in mid-January of 2020, I never suspected that what was forcing cancelations of Lunar New Year celebrations in China would leave me with raw hands and ringing ears. At that time, I was working at the Census Bureau for the lead person responsible for on-the-ground execution of the 2020 census in Idaho. The work involved data analysis and strategic planning, as we created and staffed a field operation to complement the Census Bureau’s attempt to transition from the traditional door-to-door canvassing to online self-reporting. In the early days of the pandemic, we tried to maintain business as usual as we, and most of the country, watched cases rise. When things got bad enough, a mandate from Washington shut down our office for nearly six weeks. When our team was called back, we entered a totally new world. The Census Bureau leadership had mandated a hyper safe work environment and work rules. The office furniture was completely rearranged to create social distance. A six-foot perimeter around every desk was marked on the floor to ensure work interactions took place at a distance. Similarly, walking paths were marked on the floor and one-way traffic was encouraged. Everyone was issued a box of masks and hand sanitizers and soap dispensers were everywhere. The visual was pretty laughable but it is my hands and ears that carry the strongest memories of attempting to work in this environment. Trying to comply with the guidelines meant more hand washing and sanitizing than one would likely see around an operating room. The government, while trying to be a really good parent, however, had failed to supply hand lotion. Shame on me! I didn’t bring my own and raw, chapped hands became my red badge of courage, and compliance. Additionally, I will never forget the volume in that concrete block room. A room full of people on the phone can be noisy; but social distanced work conversations meant masked people shouting to co-workers as they stood six feet from their desk. It was the definition of cacophony. The work I was doing required a lot of attention to detail and I remember it being so loud at times I could not think clearly. There were time I would go outside to listen to quiet of the traffic on the busy street in front of the office.

2022-05-25

COVID-19 protocols for a taxi

Different taxis and companies usually have different protocols posted. More often than not, there is a plastic or fabric divider between the front and back seats. This sign explains the expectations for passengers traveling via taxi in Arequipa, Peru.

2022-05-23

Sneeze Guard in Target at Tempe Marketplace

This is a sneeze guard seen at Target. This is a COVID-era restriction meant to prevent the spread of COVID. Even though most restrictions are gone, these are still up.

2022-05-23

Sneeze Guard in Barnes & Noble at Tempe Marketplace

This is a picture of a COVID-era restriction put in place at some stores. The store this was seen in was Barnes & Noble. Not pictured, but employees were also wearing masks in addition to the sneeze guards.

2020-04-03

My Neighbors and I

My neighbors and I have known each other for multiple years, and are good friends. They came from India as immigrants back in 2000 and started a family, eventually moving in right next to us about two years before the pandemic. Once COVID hit, our usual Saturday night bonfires together came to a halt as we wanted to be safe and not spread the potential infection. Instead, they bought an entire fire pit off Amazon, and through the trees each Saturday night we continued our Saturday night bonfires together, just not next to each other. This was honestly a beautiful experience because no matter what we found a way to continue to connect with each other in a safe and timely manner! We still keep in contact to this day and reminisce on our old memories as neighbors.

2022-04-11

Man of Steel

This is an Instagram post by elmagnifico5000. This post is of a man wearing a mask while showing something he is interested in with it. In the hashtags, he is encouraging people to stay safe, get boosted, and for others to wear masks.

2022-04-11

Stratford Literary Festival

This is an Instagram post by stratfordlitfest. The caption says that masks are not compulsory, but they are encouraged for the safety of others attending. These types of policies are more of the norm in some places, as opposed to full-on mandates like there was in 2020 and parts of 2021. As time has gone on, more places have lifted restrictions, but are not entirely okay with everyone being mask-free. Though, this message to me does not make it out to be like wearing a mask is entirely of one's free will. They say "we encourage audiences to wear a mask, unless exempt." The "unless exempt" part makes me believe that masks will be encouraged fairly more than in other places, as only those that would qualify as exempt would not be encouraged to do so. For me, I find this to be a bit wishy-washy with how it is worded, and it would be better if it were more straightforward by saying "masks requried", or "masks not required, but encouraged." The exemption status makes me think masks are more compulsory than what it might be trying to give off.

2022-04-11

When You Ride DC Circulator You Must Wear A Mask

This is an Instagram post by dc_circulator. This is a PSA on why you should wear a mask while riding the DC Circulator. In the caption, it says that there will be no ride if there is no mask. This PSA is meant for people living in Washington DC and use the public transit there. While some places around the US have been lifting restrictions, the US Capitol still has many in place, at least for public transportation.

2020-08-29

Socially distanced and socially safe summer camp

The attached article is something that is probably not well known. In Seattle, Washington there is the Pacific Science Museum, a fun educational museum for all ages, but focused on kids. Every summer they run educational camps for K-8 graders. It was unclear if after months of distance learning (early pandemic, 2020) students would be physically or emotionally ready to do a group activity in person. PacSci’s camps were able to run while students were socially distanced and masked. This matters because there has been a lot of rhetoric about kids not being able to wear masks for a variety of reasons, but this article proves that kids were able to understand social distancing and mask-wearing so they could have a safe and fun thing to do. With these practices in place, combined with low group sizes, and the use of a lot of outdoor time, they didn’t have any transmission cases for the whole summer. Not included in the article but they had the same success the next summer, 2021, and are on track to continue again the summer of 2022. The significance is not just to a collection focused on children, but also to the service industry since this is a less formal education setting that leans more toward front-facing customer service.

08/14/2020

Robert Shimp Oral History, 2020/08/04

In this interview, Robert Shimp discusses how the pandemic has affected the Paul Revere Memorial Association

12/11/2020

Mark Larson Oral History, 2020/12/11

Mark Larson resides in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin by Lake Wissota and currently works at Market and Johnson in the safety manager position. In this interview, Mark talks about how COVID-19 has affected his job and the different programs he is involved with at Hope Lutheran Church of Eau Claire. In the interview he discusses what activities that he and his family have done to stay busy during the uncertain times and talks about how COVID-19 is bringing back family time and how there has been some positives to this pandemic in that aspect.

05/21/2020

Sue Buettgen Oral History, 2020/05/16

University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire student Jack Nord interviews a Minneapolis-based six-grade teacher, Sue Buettgen. In this interview, Sue discusses her initial feeling when she first heard about the COVID 19 pandemic and how it changed her day-to-day routines. She discusses her transition from classroom to online teaching and all the new struggles that presented. She talks about her fears for her student’s safety and their individual home environments are affecting them. Sue dives into discussing social disparities and how the pandemic has highlighted the issue. Sue also discusses science experiments that she was trying to still make fun for her students and how her community has come together to help others. The interviewer, Jack Nord, also chimes in to briefly discuss his life as a college student. They both discuss farming and agricultural problems that have arisen. Sue finishes off by discussing how her home life has been impacted, how her family is coping and keeping safe. She discusses her hopes for the future before ending the interview.

2021-11-29

Sanaa Abid Oral History, 2021/11/29

This is an audio interview of Zaragoza director Sanaa Abid. She gave a behind the scenes looks into how the student orientation was organized working with other campus facilities to ensure a safe program for students and parents. She offered insight as her roles from a new student, a student leader, and a student director. From this interview, we are able to gain a better understanding of what the directors did during Zaragoza and how they accommodated to Covid-19. Students were able to still have an experience that allowed them to connect with other students and their families while still having a safe experience. From this interview, we can tell that the St. Mary’s Community came together to understand the different actions that were taken to ensure the program ran smoothly. Furthermore, Sanaa offered her unique experience from attending Zaragoza as a new student prior to Covid, a first time Zaragoza leader during 2020, and finally as Zaragoza Director during the summer of 2021.

2021-07-29

Covid-19 Safety Post During Summer 2021

This screenshot of an Instagram post by the University that informs students to check for updates in their emails regarding safety procedures for Zaragoza days during the summer. The item was originally created by the StMU Rattler Family Instagram. This Instagram posts shows the University's attempt to reach out to the St.Mary’s community advising them about safety precaution for the summer. Prior to the pandemic, events for Zaragzoa were not required to consider maks requirements, vaccination and health test records, or social distancing. However, with the priority of keeping the student staff and new students safe, the University used social media as a way to adequately reach out to the community to inform them of where they can find updates about safety precautions. They did this by posting a simple visual that showed a rattler wearing his mask and asking students to check on their email for updates.

2021-11-29

Signs & Symptoms - Six feet social distancing

I chose this image because it played a huge part of our reality in surviving the pandemic. By taking appropriate precautions and maintaining our distance with others in order to decrease the spread of germs and limit the spread of COVID 19. This image originated mainly from the CDC and every place a of business conformed to incorporate special mandates made by the government to help prevent the spread of COVID19 -- safely.

2021-11-26

Safety syringes (different sizes) adults and children

The attached photo is of retractable safety syringes (different sizes) adults and children

2020-07-21

COVID-19: How to Help Your Child Navigate This New Normal

A blog post from Banner Health about helping children during Covid-19.

2021-09-18

Biden Administration Sends More Agents to Texas Bridge to Move Haitian Migrants

It is utterly dismal that this is taking place, and being written about, as if it were compartmentalized from the crisis of mass death facing the entire planet. Face masks are required on all U.S. public transit and on all flights, yet migrants seeking asylum are treated without regard for even their bare minimum safety.

2020-06-08

Social Gatherings and Staying Safe from COVID-19: 5 Questions to Ask Yourself

A blog post from Banner Health about risks associated with gathering.

2020-06-05

Should You Venture In? 4 Coronavirus Safety Questions to Consider

A blog post form Banner Health about safety risks.

2020-06-04

COVID-19 Safety: 5 Questions to Ask Before Heading Outdoors

A blog post from Banner Health discussing guidelines about outside activities.

2020-05-27

Is My Medication Safe? Securing & Disposing of Old Medicine

A blog post from Banner Health on how to safely dispose of and store medications.

2021-10-07

Vacation in the Pandemic

This audio recording describes a vacation my family and I took during the pandemic. A lot of the attractions were closed due to the virus, so we had to find other things to do while maintaining safety protocol (social distancing, masks). It was frustrating but we managed to still have fun.

2021-08-13

Covid Safe Activities

My dog, Via, was born the year before the Pandemic began. Almost two-thirds of her life has been spent with both her people home all the time and she enjoys it. One of our favorite Covid safe activities is driving out to the beach early on a Friday or rainy weekend when we know nobody will be out on the beach. Via can run for hours and the beach is her favorite place to do it. She loves to dig and find crabs or look for birds on the horizon. I don't feel comfortable taking her out in public because of Covid and I don't want strangers coming up and asking to pet her so she mainly lives a solitary life now with her family. I don't know if that is good for her or not, but I constantly worry that Covid is messing up her life and her socialization.

2021-10-05

Child's Letter to Doug Ducey

Twitter user @amybchan tweeted a photo of a letter that a 7-year-old student wrote to Governor Doug Ducey. She tells him that she and her sister both got COVID and asks him to make masks at school mandatory. Governor Ducey has not only refused to mandate masks at K-12 schools in Arizona but he has punished public school districts in the state that have chosen to require masks by withholding federal funding meant for COVID mitigation strategies. Parents, students, and educators have been outspoken about this policy and the federal government has weighed in over the mishandling of these COVID relief funds. My children are in a district that requires masks and have put in a grant application for those specific funds but have been told that it is "pending review" and has not released the money to the district. It is hurting districts who are actually trying to keep students and families safe and rewarding schools for not following proven mitigation strategies. At a time when children under 12 cannot get the vaccine this is especially troubling to many Arizona families.

2021-08-20

School District Facebook Post

This is a Facebook post from Cypress-Fairbanks ISD prior to the start of the 2021-2022 academic year. Cypress Fairbanks ISD (CFISD) is the 3rd largest public school district in the state of Texas and faced a lot of scrutiny for not enforcing a mask mandate. Their reasoning was due in part to Governor Greg Abbott ending the mask mandate in the state of Texas. CFISD released many of these "Fact Checking" posts to assure parents and the community that COVID safety was still a top priority.

2021-09-28

Random COVID-19 testing on campus

I received this email notifying me that I need to get a COVID-19 test. The email states that unvaccinated and vaccinated community members are chosen randomly. I've been chosen once already in September and I took a test voluntarily last week, but I suppose it is better to test and know. It's really easy to take the saliva test, there is a vending machine/pickup table in the MU, you pick up a kit, register your kit online, and then return your saliva sample. So, I'm not at all bothered by this process.

2020-08-15

The Covid Guard

The beginning of the pandemic almost perfectly overlayed with my beginning in the coast guard. From my first unit to A school, to my second unit as a rated member, Covid 19 has been a major part of every pit stop. I endure endless safety briefings to the now mandatory Covid 19 vaccine, the military did not fall short in its education and preparation for the pandemic.

2020-03-01

COVID through the eyes of others

Going through the pandemic myself has had a lot of highs and lows. Despite having to be relatively locked down and isolated from most people until vaccinated, I was able to pick up a lot of hobbies and overall just learn a lot more about myself. As I look back, I can't help but think about how this experience has been different for others, with one of these groups being the elderly especially. There's one couple that is friends with my family who are both just over sixty years old and starting from March 2020 has been on complete lockdown. They order their groceries, don't see anyone outside their immediate family, and rarely leave the house. While COVID for me has its positives and negatives, I can't imagine how different the experience has been for them, both out of isolation and fear of getting sick. Thankfully, they have been vaccinated and have extended the bubble of people they see slightly. I just can't get over how while some who are skeptics of the pandemic run around carefree, others are locked away in their homes fearing for their health.

2021-09-14

The Start to the School Year is Unlike Any Other

I wrote an opinion piece for Idaho Education News last week after the latest school board meeting in Nampa, Idaho. Since March of 2020 educators have worked tirelessly to ensure that our students continue to receive a quality education. Initially, educators were seen as 'heroes' of the pandemic. However, over the last 9 months, the rhetoric surrounding schools and teachers has turned nasty. Yet, teachers continue to show up every single day and offer learning experiences to all children. At last week's board meeting, the discussion focused primarily on a mask mandate for our district as hospitals in our state began rationing care given the soaring number of Covid-19 cases. There was an even split between the trustees who were in favor of masking and the trustees who were against masking. This split did not come as a shock to me. However, the line of one trustee hit me in my gut, "I guess I go back to the mission statement. I'm here for the kids, so I'm not going to worry about the adults." The mission and vision statement the trustee is referencing states that teachers offer "exceptional learning experiences" for every child. Given the largely unvaccinated population of our community, the high numbers of teachers out sick, and the alarming number of students out sick as mask mandate seemed like a simple request. However, the board did not vote in favor of helping teachers ensure we are able to provide 'exceptional learning experiences.' Are masks the only answer? Not necessarily. Last year, students attended school 4 days per week while the 5th day was reserved for students to connect with students who were in quarantine/sick and unable to attend school. This year, all of those requirements are gone. That being said, students and teachers attend school 5 days per week and there is no time allotted for teachers to connect with students who are quarantined or sick. Given the latest numbers, about 25% of our entire district is out sick. That is 25% of students who do not have access to their teachers. The article was published on Tuesday, September 14, 2021, and Idaho Ed News shared it on their Facebook page as well. Shortly after 7 pm MST the post has over 160 comments (mostly in favor of teachers), 250 reactions, and over 50 shares. In addition, I have received numerous private messages and emails from other teachers who thank me for giving them a voice during this 'unprecedented' time. While I am still a fairly new teacher with only 3 years of experience, there are veteran teachers who are being pushed to the brink. Many would like to think this is an Idaho problem but the reality is that teachers across the country are feeling unsupported and unappreciated by the communities they serve. I am fearful this will be my last year teaching - I LOVE my job. I remain hopeful that this year turns out to be something amazing.

2020-05-10

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