I'm teaching without a vaccine. Now what?
“I like the term physically distanced better than socially distanced. We need to keep physical space between us but not social, emotional, mental distance.” |
Our “Now What?” series tackles the current challenge of teaching in person when you don’t yet have access to the COVID-19 vaccine.
As schools shift from online to in-person instruction, many teachers face a difficult choice and the possibility that by returning to the classroom they could contract COVID-19 or worse, bring it home to their families. According to the school tracking website Burbio, as of March 1, 2021, 27.5 percent of students were receiving all instruction online and 27.8 percent were attending hybrid school. School districts are under pressure to safely resume in-person instruction soon, while also balancing the differing needs and opinions of parents, concerns raised by teachers’ unions, and the urging of the federal government. Currently, vast swaths of the country remain in what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention categorize as the red zone, meaning new COVID-19 cases are too high to safely resume in-person school without extremely strict protocols. The vaccine rollout has been slower than most communities would like, and in most places teachers do not qualify for priority vaccination appointments. Fear of the Unknown Deja, a middle-school math teacher in Pennsylvania, was scared to go back to teaching in person when her school reopened for face-to-face instruction in September. “When we first started this,” she says, “I didn’t want to come back because I was nervous. There were a lot of unknowns.” After four months teaching in person and online, Deja has gotten more confident about the protocols her school instituted:
“How you engage kids is important because you don’t want to be yelling at them all day ‘Six feet! Six feet!’” she says. “So for me, it’s like coming up with helpful ways of saying that. ‘Hey guys, remember we have to keep our distance to keep each other safe? Remember why we have to stay apart?’” Although Deja has been vigilant about wearing a mask and limiting contact with people outside her household, she and her daughter both contracted COVID-19 in December. Their school had switched to remote instruction at that time, so they did not catch it at school or pass it to anyone else. They both made a full recovery. Deja says she will keep following all safety protocols until it’s her turn to be vaccinated. “I’m OK,” she says. “Waiting until they tell me I have to get vaccinated. Just stay away from me and put your mask on, and we’ll be fine.” Voices from Other Classrooms Teachers around the country who have been face-to-face with students have customized their personal routines and classroom protocols to stay safe and deal with uncertainty about catching COVID-19. Here are some of their voices: Westley, Early Childhood Teacher, Pennsylvania “I work with 2- and 3-year-olds, so it is quite a feat to make sure the children have their masks correctly on at all times. In the beginning, this seemed like it would never be feasible, but they have all adapted and even the smallest children have caught on.” “I worry much less than in the beginning when everything was new and uncertain. …I know we are following the correct protocols as far as handwashing, mask wearing, and social distancing. We clean toys constantly. It is a well-oiled machine where I work.… Maybe that means I’m letting my guard down emotionally, but [I’m] definitely not with the physical aspects.” Mark, Elementary Art Teacher, Wyoming “I see every student in the building each week for an hour at a time. For myself, I am vigilant about wearing my mask at all times. I have two clean masks per day and change into a clean one after lunch. I wash my hands regularly.” “To reduce student contact, we created art kits for each student so they are not required to share any scissors, crayons, markers, etc.” “I was concerned that contracting the virus would be inevitable. There have been some nights when I was worried I had it! As time went on, I got more comfortable and confident as I saw for myself that the protocols work.” Chris, Community College Assistant Professor, Illinois “I [scheduled] my class on a Saturday to ensure there would be fewer people all around. We have also decided to hold off on meetings until the weather is a bit warmer and we can sit outside.” “I like the term physically distanced better than socially distanced. We need to keep physical space between us but not social, emotional, mental distance.” “I have a chronic, invisible illness, and this has proven to make things more challenging. When I have a flare up of any symptom I start to wonder if I have COVID.” “I am having more anxiety and panic attacks. I listen to the Brain.FM app on my noise cancelling headphones. This helps me to meditate and relax. I sit or sleep with a weighted blanket. I walk a lot.” Amanda, College History Professor, Wisconsin “My biggest concern going in was about whether students would cooperate with masking. That turned out to be a non-issue.” “The most important thing I did verbally, I think, was to point out to the students that I would not be able to teach in person if I was exposed, because then I would have to quarantine.” “I actually ended up not worrying too much that I would catch COVID, although as it turned out about one-third of my students did and about two-thirds were affected. I offered my students the opportunity to attend either in person or online every week, no questions asked. They moved back and forth as seemed appropriate and necessary for their circumstances. I always felt like the students were protecting me and their classmates from being exposed—the result of the trust I placed in them the first day of class.” Own Your Choice Deja says it is important to own your choice about whether to go back to the classroom. “The pandemic is affecting all of us very differently,” she says. “Decisions have to be made for you and your household.” She says if the school’s protocols are not strict enough for your comfort level, you can set your own boundaries for the classroom. “Say, ‘OK, folks, this is how it’s going to work. I’m going to remain at my desk, and you all stay in your own seats. You might be used to me walking around and helping you, but I’m going to be projecting everything from my workstation. We all have our own stations this year.’” She encourages teachers to be practical about whether they can enthusiastically get back to teaching in person, or if they need to find other employment for the time being. “If you’re an educator, you’re a professional,” she says. “The biggest thing to remember is that to go back is a choice.” She has committed to her decision and made the best of it. “Because I made the choice to be here, I give them my all. I love the kids and have fun teaching!” Learn More A Preschool Teacher in Lockdown During Week of the Young Child Children and Masks: Essential Resources My Family Has COVID-19. Now What? Resilience, Hope, and Wonder: In-Person Teaching During COVID-19 |