Many students tend to forget that some teachers are also parents. This time is very stressful for them to be there for their students if they have questions, to make sure the material is prepared for assignments and to make sure to get grades in on time. All of that while simultaneously being a parent is a tough job.
PVHS math teacher Nick Sacco is not a fan of teaching from home. “It is incredibly frustrating that I spend my entire day sitting behind a computer screen,” he said. “We all went into teaching because we like to have face to face interactions with people, and we have all been transitioned to desk jobs overnight.”
While this time is tough for everyone, many teachers are experiencing the same kind of stress that students might be feeling. Having to take care of their kids at home and their students can become very difficult for teachers to do.
“It is difficult to spend time with my family, my daughter is only two and requires a ton of attention,” Sacco explained. “My wife got furloughed last week so she has become the main caretaker for now, we never get the chance to go anywhere except for walks,” he added.
Sacco also said he is grateful for google hangouts even though it’s difficult to really understand where a student is at and if they understand the material. “These are the closest it comes to communicating but it is just not the same,” he explained.
The normal household chores teachers had to do on top of teaching is becoming harder to do. Art and photography teacher Aimee Peters found that because no one was home during the day, there wasn’t a mess to make. “Because I feel like I am neglecting doing things like laundry and cleaning in the kitchen, my house is a complete disaster,” she said.
During this time, explaining things through text can be difficult, and that can cause more and more questions to pile up for teachers to respond to.
“I find that students do have more questions on assignments,” Peters said. “Usually in regular times I would go through the assignment sheets on the whiteboard and add in little tidbits that aren’t on the sheets.”
Peters also found a smart planning trick to make online learning easier for her and her students. “I don’t go to bed until all of the material and assignments are prepared for the next week in the Google Classroom drafts so all I have to do is press ‘assign’ and everything is sent out.”
Teachers are often not given enough credit for all of the work and time they put in for their students. May fourth through eighth is National Teacher Appreciation week, so go ahead and shoot a teacher an email and make their day better.
