Category: Education

Contributed by Paige Barnett.

Covid Log Part II: This is one science teacher’s personal account of suddenly being thrust into online teaching and learning due to the pandemic.  Since the last time that I wrote about my experience in the ILNH August ‘20 Newsletter, I can tell you that teaching in the time of COVID remains a struggle, albeit for different reasons. 

Over the summer, I continued teaching through the online learning platform for our extended school year (ESY) program. It turned out to be a somewhat good experience while still challenging for many of the same reasons shared in the August newsletter. The social studies teacher with whom I was paired became a  great team. Together, we created a program called A Sense of Place that introduced students to their home state and its unique ecosystem, the New Jersey Pinelands.  It was the perfect amalgam of science and history about the pine barrens.  We actually had fun, and team teaching helped to lighten the load for both of us in terms of parental communication, planning, and offsetting Zoom fatigue, where creating and maintaining meaningful student/teacher relationships is much more challenging. 

Fast forward to September of 2020, recall that our administration decided to return to in-person learning. 

As a special education teacher of 20 plus years, I understand the social/emotional needs of our population. As a science teacher, I understand the very real danger of this disease. It leaves me conflicted.  In Part I of Teaching in a Time of Covid, I wrote about the many questions and concerns of returning to in-person learning.  While our administration addressed some of our concerns, I felt they missed the mark in one very important, if not THE most important aspect of protecting staff and students. Masks. And they continue to do so despite my emails and face-to-face meetings pleading with them to mandate wearing a mask 100% of the time in the building. 

While the CDC provides guidelines for schools and the workplace in  CDC Protecting School Staff,  these guidelines certainly are not best practices. The guidelines also defer frequently to state and local officials, hence blurring the lines of what should be mandated vs. what is actually mandated. My two biggest concerns have been school ventilation and proper mask wearing procedures and rules. 

When we returned to school in September, some administrative and teaching staff were often seen in their offices or classrooms without wearing masks.  I put on my science teacher hat and gently mentioned that this disease is highly transmissible and that they may want to consider wearing their masks 100% of the time, even when students are not in the room.  Most were pretty agreeable.  Like I always say, when you know better, you do better.  

Well….

I expressed my concern in a voice message to our director, however, no reply was forthcoming. Shortly thereafter, I followed up with an email explicitly requesting that she please mandate and model proper mask wearing in the building 100% of the time, and if needed,  staff take mask breaks outside. It should be noted that Governor Murphy mandated that students must wear masks the entire time they are in school. 

Ironically, the following Monday, the director and I met face to face when she informed me I was exposed to a student who contracted the virus.  This was my first brush with COVID, and while I wasn’t in extreme danger and didn’t have to quarantine, I wasn’t taking any chances. I took myself out and got tested that night. October 7 I received a negative PCR result. 

Days later,  the HR director stopped by my class, asking what made me think I could tell our director to mandate and model mask wearing. I replied because it’s not my opinion as to whether or not we should mandate the masks, it’s the science behind why we should be wearing the masks. Additionally, Princeton University released a research report the week before stating that children are excellent vectors for transmitting COVID. 

I expressed how the school may be exposing itself to a liability and that the CDC guidelines are not best practice, merely a guideline. I explained to her that best practice would be to mandate the mask wearing 100% of the time in the building. I likened mask breaks to smoke breaks. People are not allowed to smoke on the school premises and literally have to drive off campus.  Why should taking a mask break be any different? Go outside.  

October 7 we received an email from our principal that contained the following line,  “Like all schools, we are following required guidelines to keep everyone safe and secure.”  To which I replied with the following:  

“Then please enforce the mask rule for staff as well. I’m seeing staff members, admin included, in their classes or offices talking to one another with their masks off or down at different times of the day, but mostly at the end of the day.  It’s dangerous to allow staff to take mask breaks in their rooms.  Especially now that the CDC released just yesterday confirmed information for how covid lingers in the air.  Please send an email to all staff with the newly released CDC information regarding transmission and encourage and model the message that wearing a mask at all times is mandatory while in the building.  This isn’t my opinion, this is science. Lives are on the line. I’ve made my concerns known to <name> via email with other suggestions that I’ve given to help keep the building as safe as possible: same suggestions that I supplied in the staff survey, UV lights in bathrooms and with poor circulation, strategically placed in the hallways and toilet seat covers.  <Name> and I spoke briefly about my concern yesterday and I am not satisfied with the answer, to make work ‘bearable” she’ll  allow staff mask breaks in their rooms. And for the record, I hate wearing a mask, but I do it because science and out of consideration for others. I am asking admin to please encourage the mask mandate in the building at all times (except eating). My other concern is that upon learning that we had a positive case in the building, why was school open today? Why Was the CDC 24 hour wait time not utilized and then deep cleaned like districts are doing?” 

October 9 I received a reply from HR. Apparently, my discussion with our director and subsequent reply to our principal was “unduly confrontational.” HR scheduled a meeting with me, the principal and our director.  In this meeting I made my concerns very clear. Alas, I was told, people are gonna do what they are gonna do, and they’re going to continue to allow the staff to take mask breaks in their rooms.  If I wanted to leave, they would understand. They stated that they consulted with a lawyer and that they were doing as much as they possibly could. I, too, consulted a workman’s comp lawyer. Should I contract covid while on the job, they’ll be hearing from him. 

We’ve subsequently shifted to remote learning twice since September. In fact, we returned to in-person just this week.  We were informed via email, anyone who had contact with the infected person was consulted. As for a vaccination? March 28 has been the earliest I’ve been able to schedule.  I’ve tried to get in earlier to no avail. I’ll keep trying.  In the meantime, I never take off my mask except to eat. I stay in my class, except when I go grab lunch and I don’t socialize at all. It’s kinda lonely, if not for the students. I’m tired, stressed and frankly, my students know it. Science be damned.

Contributed by Paige Barnett.

This is one science teacher’s personal account of being thrust into online teaching and learning.  

Covid log March 2:  “Dear Staff, As you are aware, there is much news and legitimate discussion regarding the coronavirus among our community and schools.  Administration from both the middle school and high school met today to talk about the development of the coronavirus and any potential impact to our school. We are following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the New Jersey Department of Health, and the Monmouth County Health Department to keep our school safe from the spread of disease.”  Thereafter, our director outlined the precautions our school would be taking.

Background: As a pre-vet/animal science major in college. I had a fabulous microbiology professor who once used a lab to demonstrate how quickly disease can spread. I never forgot the lesson. The concept of quarantine is nothing new in the world of agriculture. It’s practiced regularly and with success in saving lives; because that’s precisely the point, to stop the spread of disease and to save lives.  Livestock can not cross state lines without health certs. Why? So that if disease breaks out it can be traced to the origin and stopped. It’s called practicing biosecurity.  I’ve experienced quarantine of entire farms and have practiced biosecurity measures and it works.

When Covid-19 cases were reported in Washington state, I began educating myself on the epidemiology of this disease. What gave me pause is the stealth of this virus with a two week, asymptomatic incubation period.  I teach in a private school where our students come from many sending districts.  My first thought was…”We’re (faculty and staff) sitting ducks.” 

The reality of this is, all teachers in all districts across the country are sitting ducks. Even before directed by our administration, I began teaching my students about proper hand washing, not touching their faces, and wiping down their desks before and after class.  They all, (I hope) will remember what I taught them about how disease spreads and will continue to protect themselves. Many of my students live in counties that were hardest hit by Covid-19.  While I can’t be sure of who lost loved ones, we lost two members of our immediate school community.  The grief is real.

Flashback to March 13th: We attended an emergency meeting on Friday, March 13th (go figure). We discussed how to proceed with online learning.  I hoped we could meet with students on Monday and walk them through the process, but alas, it was not to be. The dreaded email arrived March 15th stating we would be teaching online beginning Monday March 16th. To the credit of our administration, staff, and IT department we went live and online in less than 72 hours!  IT made sure students who didn’t have computers received one and a hot spot so they’d have access to online learning.  As for me, I began preparing a few weeks prior. I uploaded files to the cloud so I’d have remote access. I was familiar with how to use Zoom meetings and was already using Google classroom to upload assignments. That was the easy part. The hard part…interacting, creating and maintaining relationships with students via a virtual classroom.  

Nothing can replace teaching in-person. Nothing. I mean, forget about the fact that teaching science is a hands-on kind of learning. The real challenge is in maintaining robust relationships where we can gauge our students, read their body language, and adjust to their needs. This is lost in a virtual classroom. Relationships with the students are at the heart of teaching. Being able to create an environment where students can check their baggage at the classroom door and just be a student in a safe space is lost.  Aside from relationships, what normally could be accounted for in person such as homework, behaviors etc, now had to be sent in multiple emails to parents, administration and documented in our online school accounting and attendance system.  

Teaching online is, in a word, stressful. Very.

Fast forward to September:  Fall is quickly approaching. It will not be business as usual.  Districts are scrambling to prepare their schools with safety policies and procedures.  As for my school, I have concerns.  So many questions, such as will we be able to keep the six feet spacing? How will students move from class to class?  Will we have our ventilation system updated with U.V. filtration systems?  How will students use the bathroom?  How will students get their lunch?  How will students be held accountable for maintaining their distance?   I am already well aware that some of our elementary students are resisting the mask mandate.  What will this look like?  Will we offer remote learning for parents who choose to keep their children home?  I am concerned for our immuno-compromised staff and family members.  What will it look like if someone from our school tests positive for Covid?  

Is it worth the risk?  I say, no it’s not. I’ve voiced my opinions and I’ve even been asked by human resources if I plan to return to school. Will we receive hazard pay?  Do I get a choice about teaching remotely if I want or need to? I do plan to return, but putting my life on the line certainly was never something I thought I’d have to do for teaching. Suffice it to say, I will have to “put my affairs in order” before returning this fall. I’ve also ordered all the PPE I will need to protect myself. Never thought I’d have to order PPE for the classroom.  Wonder if I can write that off?  Oh yeah, right. The Trump tax reform took away write-offs for teachers who purchase school supplies.    

And now a little about science education.  It matters. It matters because the public should understand the urgency of how contagious Covid-19 is and how to best protect themselves.  Wearing a mask shouldn’t even be a question about constitutional rights. It is pointedly a matter of life-saving consideration for others. I am thankful for the knowledge I could share with my students. They understand the science of the situation and most importantly could prepare and protect themselves. What’s maddening, is that all of this –  ALL. OF. THIS. – could have been prevented.  It’s mind boggling to me that Trump dismantled the pandemic team.  In my gut, I knew that we were in for a long haul.  I just hope the people who have died will not have died in vain, that the masses will be motivated to vote their values and that their values include saving the lives of others.  

Godspeed to the teachers.