Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, one of the most complex (and controversial) challenges to find a solution for was schooling. People of all ages, whether that meant children, adolescents, or adults, had to adjust to remote (aka virtual) learning in some capacity. Some students attended school in-person for quite some time, whereas others chose to stay home from the moment that became an option. Many individuals even chose to do a hybrid of both. This unprecedented adjustment and the constant changes has affected (and continues to affect) not only the students, but their parents and/or guardians as well. And like most things, there has been a wide variety of opinions about what the best decision is. Despite the differences in perspectives, we all can agree that this has been a difficult and stressful time for everyone involved…including teachers.

Nearly 27-year-old Katlyn had wanted to be a teacher since she was in third grade. “There was never a time where I questioned that decision,” Katlyn began. “There was never any doubt in my mind about it… until this pandemic happened. For the first time, I questioned if I could do this…if I was good enough to do it.”

I asked Katlyn to start from when they made the initial decision to close schools back in March. Katlyn shared that the time frame to develop a game plan wasn’t a large one. On a Friday, her school district emailed the teachers that they planned a Professional Developmental Day for that Monday, where the teachers were going to create enough virtual lesson plans to get them through a two-week school closure. No decision was made, but they wanted to be prepared.

From Tuesday to Thursday, they assembled the packets that the students would take home if schools ended up closing. That Friday (one week from the email about the upcoming Professional Developmental Day), there was still no official decision to close schools. Then, at 3:30pm, all of the teachers received an email that they had to move out of their classrooms by 4:00pm. Katlyn had no idea it was all going to happen so fast. She quickly began gathering all of her belongings. Dismissal is at 3:50pm, meaning Katlyn had ten minutes sans students to move out.

Once she got home, the realization that this was really happening hit her. Katlyn recalled not even knowing where to begin. That’s when the doubt sunk in. She said, “I had to start from the ground up. When you are in school for teaching, they teach you how to deliver content to students. For example, I was taught methods on how to teach multiplying, how to teach dividing, how to teach fractions. But a lot of the methods I used in the classroom can’t be used virtually, so I had to figure out other ways. And that’s when I started doubting things.”

Katlyn added, “I couldn’t let myself feel that way forever, though. I said to myself, ‘You have to cut the s*** and get started.’ I knew it was going to be difficult, but I had to do it for the kids.”

When asked how she got through it, Katlyn said, “I kind of just told myself I had no choice. That the kids were more important than my self-doubt. I looked at the bigger picture– that this wasn’t about me. This was about my 50-something students.”

I asked Katlyn how teaching virtually has affected her lifestyle. She shared:

“In the beginning, I was staying up a lot later than I should have been every night. It took a really big effort to stop working at a reasonable hour. I would put my laptop on the kitchen counter so I could cook dinner while video-chatting with parents. I couldn’t disconnect.”

As a nurse who cares for critically ill chilidren, I related to that part. Disconnecting can sometimes be the hardest part of the job. Katlyn continued:

“It really became a problem, but there was so much to learn. I spent hours researching different ways to teach. I only ever learned A) standing at the board in front of the whole class or B) dividing the class up into small groups. When I went to college, my curriculum never included how to teach on a computer screen. I was exhausted, but I knew that the extra work was going to benefit the kids. I put in extra hours once we got started too. A typical, remote school day is 9am-3pm, but 8am-9am and 4pm-6pm were additional office hours. I made sure I was available if the students or their families needed something. I have responded to parent emails that were sent as late as 2am. Because when you’re working at home, you never really leave the classroom.”

After the first few weeks, Katlyn felt like she had an “okay” grasp on virtual teaching. However, she struggled with navigating the social and emotional aspect of it. She shared, “It’s been hard to form connections with the students. We had to regroup as a whole, and regrouping in March is very difficult. It felt like we were starting out in September again. I was getting to know the students in ways I never had before. The video chat would open and some kids were in their own rooms using their personal laptop with Airpods in, while another classmate was sitting on the curb in a Panera parking lot using a friend’s cell phone. And it was my job to create a level playing field again.”

Katlyn continued:

“As adults, we know how to communicate. We may not all be good at it, but we generally know what to say or what not to say. Children at this age, for the most part, don’t know how to do that. So the one thing we focused on when we went remote was how to openly discuss the situation and our feelings about it. As ten-year-olds, they were upset that they couldn’t go on a field trip. They were upset that they couldn’t do morning announcements which they had been waiting five years to do. To them, these were big problems. I wanted to show them that it’s okay to be upset about those things. So there were days when I put my teaching on pause for a moment to address these dilemmas.”

I was curious about how much of the situation Katlyn discussed with her students. As an ICU nurse, it is absolutely impossible for me not to speak about it at work. But where does a teacher draw the line?

Kate shared:

“I talked about the seriousness of the virus in the very beginning of March, such as talking about the importance of hand-washing. We did a science experiment with slices of bread to show the spread of germs. For the most part, they had already heard that schools might close. I wanted them to understand that not being in school was going to help stop the spread of those germs. Once school did close, these topics came up again.”

Kate paused to reflect, then continued:

“It’s hard because they’re fifth graders. They aren’t adults, but they aren’t kindergarteners and can comprehend the seriousness of the conversations that they hear on the news or that their families are having. They understand the concept of ‘People are getting sick and people are dying and while there are downsides to this safety measure, this is what we are trying to do to keep everyone safe.’ I spent a lot checking in with everyone to make sure that before learning, they felt safe and comfortable.”

After almost ten months of virtual teaching, I wanted to hear how things are going now. Katlyn said:

“There’s a different kind of connection now between my students and I because we’ve had the opportunity to interact on a more serious and deeper level. For example, instead of asking the students to write me a story about their summer vacation, since they couldn’t do that, I asked them to talk to me about one thing they are happy about and one thing they are sad about. Even when they aren’t directly prompted to share something, a lot of them want to discuss the pandemic.”

Katlyn noted that she learned a lot about her students’ emotional intelligence. She admitted, “A few of them lost family members, and some happened to share that with the class. Honestly, the best part of that was hearing the way their fellow students responded. Adults tend to be very sympathetic when someone experiences loss. We like to say, ‘I’m sorry for your loss’ or ‘I’m sorry to hear that.’ But kids are very empathetic. They try to relate their own experiences with that of their friends or peers.”

Katlyn chuckled when she recalled one moment when that happened. One of her students shared with the class that her grandpa had died. In response, one classmate exclaimed, “Oh! My dog died one time!” Katlyn noted, “As adults, we realize that those are different types of losses. But to a child, that’s their way of saying, ‘I understand the feeling you’re experiencing.’ And I loved getting the opportunity to witness that.”

I asked Katlyn where she currently stands with virtual teaching. She said, “I feel like no matter what happens next, no matter what changes get thrown at us, I can deal with it. Parts of it are still challenging, but now I feel like I can do anything.”

And she can. Teachers can do virtually anything.

If Katlyn’s story inspired you to share one of your own, please email anothersunrisestories@gmail.com and include a brief summary. I will respond back as soon as possible to plan a time for us to speak. I want to hear what it has been like for you to have another sunrise.

Share this post!