Medium: What does the COVID-19 pandemic mean for elementary, middle, and high school education right now?

#TempleSocEd

Over the course of this month I FaceTime interviewed a teacher, parent, and student that COVID-19 has affected. All in different ways but the pandemic has changed their life style, mindset, and idea of school. While our world is rapidly changing day by day the one thing that stays the same is students need to keep learning and teachers need to keep teaching those students.

My first interview I conducted was with my own mother who is a special education teacher for students of the age of 18–21. My mom has been teaching students with disabilities all her working life so she was used to her normal school year. When schools went online she was stuck and was having a hard time getting her students to do the work and she was having a hard time figuring out a plan. Something that she never even thought of happening, happened. While teaching any student has its challenges, teaching students with disabilities who you normally have to be hands-on with from a computer screen is very challenging. In her classroom my mom teaches her students about personal hygiene, she teaches them things like using deodorant will help you from smelling like body odor, after that she teaches her students how to apply it. Sometimes her students have a difficult time gripping it so, when she is in person she has to opportunity to help them grip it so its easier to apply. Doing that behind a screen is hard because she can’y be there physically to help them. Back in March she went fully virtually and when that happened she knew that her students didn’t have all the resources that they needed to complete her planned lesson plans. She took that responsibility into her own hands and went to the dollar store and created baskets for each of her students filled with all the tools and things that they needed to successfully complete the school year. It went well, all the students and their families were very surprised because she dropped them off herself so she could see them (she dropped them off and social distanced). It worked well because all of her students had the tools they needed to complete their lesson that my mom planned out. The only thing that the students needed were things like eggs and milk and if my mom knew they were a low income family she gave them some money to buy those things. From what she told me it all went smoothly and she didn’t have any problems with the baskets. This changed the education that they received because it allowed them all the do the lesson my mom created just like they would be doing in person. The students were hands on in their lesson and by them doing it at home without my mom there, it gave the students more freedom, their parents/caregivers were there if they needed any assistance. I asked her what are some things she enjoyed about working from home, she said she enjoys wearing PJ bottoms and being able to use the bathroom whenever she wants. She also said that she likes that she knows she is home safe and that she can get to know the students families on a more personal level. She said that it was easier to communicate with most parents because they would sometimes be on the zoom call and if they had a question or concern for her they could just address it right there over zoom. The families/caregivers also were helping the student during the lesson and my mom could talk with them during it. She said it was easier than always having to reach out via email or phone call because she could hear back quicker over zoom. This current school year is different, while they started online, slowly she started working from the school. From teaching via zoom in the classroom to her students returning Monday through Thursday then virtual on Friday. Getting back into the swing of things teaching in person had her hesitant because she knows that her husband is immune compromised and doesn't want to risk him getting sick. She said that her students are going very well with keeping their masks on all day and cleaning up after themselves. The janitors are not cleaning the classroom properly she said, they only take out the trash and don’t wipe down any of the counters or anything. Some things that have helped her with going back to school is that she knows that Fridays are virtual. She thinks that her students are handling these hard time very well and are being flexible with her. On the other hand she feels like her and her colleagues are being left out of the loop but at least they can lean on each other in this transition.

My second interview was with my neighbor who has two children in elementary school. This was something that changed their lives because neither her or her partner are teachers or know much about teaching. She said home schooling that it is tough for her children because they don’t get to socialize with their friends and they lost that structure that they had before when attending school in person. On the other hand she likes the freedom that they have and she likes that they make their own structure, such as eating at the same time everyday with eachother. Their family has gotten closer in these times and have become more of a unit, while she has to change her work schedule and move it around she looks on the bright side that her children and family have became closer. For her children they learn all virtually, they had a choice to pick if they want to do hybrid (half online and half in person), all in person, or all virtually. She picked all virtually because she has seen pictures of how the school handling it and would rather just have her kids home. She likes that she feels more involved within their learning and knows that they are always doing. She feels stressed because when her children ask for help she wants to help but doesn’t want to interfere with the way the teacher taught the lesson. The school provided laptops for the children and set them up with all the correct websites, that is something that she finds amazing because that stress of getting two laptops wasn’t put on her. Back in March when the students went online she found it confusing and a mess but said that now it is organized and easy to follow. She has found a nice routine in online schooling and is satisfied with it and doesn’t want to send her kids back in fear that they will just get sent back home again. Her one daughter wants to go back to school but she doesn't understand what is really going on because she is so young and her son likes doing school from home. Both the kids attitudes are positive because they like the routine that they are in and have bonded and gotten closer as siblings.

Below are some pictures that my neighbor sent me showing me how the school is handling social distancing:

In the photo to the left you see how the children are eating lunch, there are two at a table while sitting on the same side at opposite ends of the table. The students can’t pack lunches anymore, they have to eat the lunches provided for them from the school. The photo to the right shows the students at the end of the day, as you can see they have draw string back packs because they can only bring a limited amount of things and the school provided those backpacks. All wearing their masks and standing arms length, plus some away from eachother.

My third interview was with a high school senior, this time in a seniors life should be their prime time in high school because they have so much to look forward too. Sadly, COVID-19 had other plans for them. She said she goes to school Monday and Tuesdays, for a hybrid learning schedule. There are about 10 kids in each of her classes and they always have to be wearing their masks, some of her teachers are not even physically in the building but they teach the class via zoom at home. When that happens there is a class sub looking over the class and observing them. She said that it’s very weird because she is there while her teacher is not. She also is not on the same hybrid schedule as her friends so she doesn’t get to see them and feels excluded in that sense. Senior year is a prime time with football games and the homecoming dance, since this is all the lasts for her she is sad she is missing out and wont get this time back. She hasn’t been feeling stressed but more annoyed, by the end of her school days of wearing a mask for hours she feels gross, but would rather do this if it means going back to school. She really wants to get back to school and understands that this is a tough situation to handle but thinks that students need to get back in the classroom. It’s not affecting what she is learning because she is very involved with school and motivated for her future. She is still trying to figure out her future plans for college but is missing out on all her senior year expierances.

Although they all have different viewpoints of this, they are all in the same but also different situation. I understand all of their views and think that this is a tough call when making a decision and I think that allowing each person to chose what they feel comfortable with is very important.

I listened to the Office Hours podcast episode on reopening schools and it was very interesting, not only did they bring up a lot of topics, they also touched on some topics mentioned in my interviews. One topic such as low level workers like janitors, my mother mentioned that her classrooms are not getting cleaned at all other then taking the trash out and after listening to this podcast it makes sense why. In the podcast they say that a lot of staff have been cut due to the pandemic and unfortunately lower level workers have been cut and forced to do double or triple the amount of work that they would usually have to do in their normal schedule. Very interesting that, that was mentioned in my interview and was discussed about in the podcast. Another thing that was mentioned in the podcast that one of my interviewers mentioned is that they are scared to send their children to school because the inequitable format that school currently has. The biggest thing I took away from the podcast was the idea that this pandemic gives schools the opportunity to reflect, look back, and rethink what the schools do and how to better accomplish the goals of schools. I loved that idea because I think they are right by making that point, by time away the teachers and administrators have time to reflect and change their ways so they can have a better future. Another thing that they discussed within the podcast is how home isn’t safe for everyone, this is important to think about because everyone has different home situations. Also the idea of the social interaction of kids, some students are only children and they are alone with no friends to play with. Some kids have siblings but for those only child households it must be hard for the kid not having any socialization. The last thing I am going to discuss that was mentioned in the podcast is the fact that not every parent has the luxury to work from home. Some parents have to make tough decisions with leaving their children home while they go to work, it’s not ideal but sometimes it has to happen because they need to go out to make money for their family to live and have a roof over their heads. School was important because it gave parents the opportunity to get free childcare while they go work.

The article “The Public Purposes of Schooling in the Age of Coronavirus” written by Doug Larkin talks about the importance of schools. Larkin, first states that it makes sense to send children home from school to stop the spread of the disease but he says schools are important for many students and there are even more public purposes for schools. A section of is article covers child welfare, this is important because as I talked about in the previous section is that not all students have a safe home. School is a place that students get their physical and emotional needs met and are safe from neglect and abuse. It is also a place that students get fed and made sure that they have a meal. School and lunch programs make sure that students eat and have a meal that day because sometimes students families can’t afford to buy food for everyday of the week. Another section within the article is about social development and human development. School is important for students to interact and socialize with their peers. Also, schools helps with physical activity, by getting students up and moving. Schools are vital for students at such a prime age they need this structure, interaction, and safe space.

To answer the big question “What does the COVID-19 pandemic mean for elementary, middle, and high school education right now?” is hard, its complicated and different for everyone. While we still continue learning we do it in new way, this experience is different for everyone and while it’s hard right now we will get through it and hopefully learn a lot from it and change our ways of teaching for the better. Everyone is trying their bests and the teachers are trying to make learning accessible and fun for their students. Teachers have a big responsibility to teach students what they need to know but it is hard that they cannot be physically hands on inside the classroom teaching them. This puts a responsibility on the parents to help with the child's school work while trying to do their own work. Comparing elementary schools to middle and high schools is very different during this pandemic because while middle and high school students need to go back, elementary students need to go back more. The older students have a sense of motivation and independence but the younger students need this prime time for socialization and in person learning. While I was doing my practicum Spring of 2020, right before the pandemic started, the students were given breakfast everyday and before this I didn’t know that happened. As I worked in the school more I found out that all Philadelphia schools do this and it’s because not all students can afford to eat at every meal, this made me sad and when the schools shut down this is the first thing I thought of. Soon to see on social media that groups were organizing food drives and handing out lunches for these students. This is something that benefited the students and is a great thing to do during these hard times. What is making this pandemic harder is that no matter what call a school makes there are always going to be people bashing the school for their decision, this is a time that we need to come together and be united. The parents, teachers, and students voices should be heard and should have a say in their decisions because they are affected by it first hand. This may be tough but it could be something that could benefit education at this time. Also, comparing students whose families can afford to work from home while other can’t and their parents have to go to work. This is hard because those families need to go and work so they can afford to live and pay their bills, while other families have the benefit of working from home they don’t see the other side of that struggle. There have been many challenges for parents, teachers, and students but we are all in this together. We are creating our new normal for schools in hope for a better future when we return back to schools.