COVID19 has brought many changes to my world. From March when schools were dismissed from learning in a building, teachers were tasked with bringing in person dynamics and relationships to the screen. Much confusion in directives and state guidelines brought about a halt in education. Parents and students were confused with online learning, the expectations and the gap being laid in their academics. While NCDPI trying its best to be equitable to all students and students being children, grades were frozen and learning essentially stopped for most. My AP Chemistry kids continued to work (at least appear to be) since a major online test loomed in their future to determine college course credit. That in itself is another story with many sides, like all of the COVID stories for education. Teachers continued to push forward. They looked for videos that explained their concepts in multiple levels, they made their own videos when none would suffice. They grew their Google Classroom, held Zoom meetings at all hours of the day and into the night, to accomodate working parents, working students and internet availability. Some students joined in, many did not. Many would argue teachers dropped the ball, they frontloaded videos and stopped teaching. Teachers would argue they vetted those videos, placed them in order and held Zoom discussions and problem sessions and the kids had no incentive (the proverbial carrot and stick of grades). Now with COVID keeping our schools from opening up fully (the way all teachers really want it to open – as this is how they teach the best), teachers are faced with even more challenges. Trying to be upbeat and welcoming when much of the commentary for opening schools centered around teachers not doing their job from March to June. Teachers are struggling to figure out a way to teach their curriculum in way less time, with no manipulatives, with no in person group activities, without being able to let their students use the equipment they spent other summers writing grants to obtain. This opening of schools this fall brings many challenges many teachers just do not want to face with seemingly no support from their state or their communities. They will make choices to leave. To retire early. To seek jobs outside of the educational arena. This year will break many teachers.
As for the challenges in my internship, there have been many. Time is the biggest one. With multiple furloughs, I am only getting started in my second week at Eaton in Forest City. They have been great though. They have made so many concessions and always seem happy that I am there. Trying to have conversations over loud equipment with all your PPE (industrial and Covid) has been very difficult. I have still learned quite a bit about expectations industry has for educators and the struggles they face with finding employees who will show up on time, everyday. Employees who want to learn and move forward with new possibilities offered within their company. Finding life-long learners in their employees is a challenge they face. As I continue this week and next with my internship, I hope to learn more, experience more and find a new fire within myself to keep moving forward in my educational career. I hope I can continue to fuel the fires for my students to seek the opportunities offered to them to learn, to want to learn, to become that life-long learner.