Well, one week passed, and then two
weeks. We were still in session, and soon cases of COVID-19 started popping up.
Each new case resulted in a notification sent to staff and families of students
in the district. Teachers who had positive cases in their classroom were asked
for seating charts so that close contacts could be determined, although no one
was told the names of positive cases due to privacy concerns. The close contacts
were notified and told that they must quarantine for 14 days after their most
recent exposure. Yes, occasionally tape measures were brought out to measure the
distance between desks in a classroom, and a few inches could be the difference
between a 14 day quarantine or life as usual. We continued on.
Case numbers in
our area were fairly low when school started in August, but as we moved from
September into October and especially into November, they started to climb
alarmingly. One comforting thing was that while there was substantial spread in
the community, resulting in often daily reports of cases within our district,
there was little evidence of significant spread within the schools themselves. I'll admit
that it was pretty unnerving to find out about positive cases within my
classroom, which happened several times throughout the school year. Then, at
the end of November, we were told that the case numbers in our building had hit
a threshold that required a transition to virtual learning for several days
before the Thanksgiving break. Teachers and staff were still to come into the
building to teach, but students had to learn from home, made possible by Zoom
and newly purchased webcams. Students returned after Thanksgiving break, and we
remained open throughout the winter COVID surge.
Finally, in December, some
encouraging news. The first COVID-19 vaccine had been approved by the FDA for
emergency use, although it was only available for healthcare workers and
residents of assisted living facilities. January came, and I started to get
hopeful that I might be able to get the vaccine soon. Pennsylvania released
phases for vaccine eligibility that included different groups of people and the
orders in which they would be eligible to receive the vaccine. School employees
were part of phase 1B, along with several other groups of people, and at first
we were behind only the previously mentioned healthcare workers and assisted
living residents. However, group 1A was soon expanded to include people with
various health conditions that put them at greater risk if they contracted
COVID-19, as well as all people over 65. That bumped school staff (who did not
qualify due to age or health condition) back further in the vaccine timeframe.
As
we moved into February, I realized that it might be awhile before I could
receive the vaccine. COVID numbers were going down, but were still very high.
Still, we kept going. We were more than half-way through the school year. March
began. And, suddenly, an announcement! At the end of February, the FDA had
authorized a third vaccine for emergency use, the one-dose Johnson and Johnson
vaccine. Pennsylvania announced that it was setting aside its first allotment of
J & J doses for school employees. On March 3, I was able to sign up to indicate
my interest in receiving this vaccine at our local intermediate unit, which was
going to be set up as a mass vaccination site for school employees. Two days
later, our school closed again for students due to COVID case numbers. We had a
virtual learning day on a Friday, the building was deep cleaned over the
weekend, and we opened back up on Monday. I then learned that elementary school
workers were first priority for the vaccine, so again, I would not be able to
get vaccinated as soon as I hoped. Maybe the end of March, or beginning of April
at the latest.
The vaccine roller-coaster I was on continued, when on March 12 I
received an email stating that there were extra doses available at our local IU,
and that I was able to try to register for a vaccine appointment. Right away, I
did! I signed up for the first appointment available, Sunday evening, March 14,
at 6:45 pm. I am still blown away by how scientists were able to develop these
amazingly effective vaccines in less than a year and I am so thankful for
everyone involved in their development, production, and distribution. The school year
continued.
As we moved into April, I began to work on preparing my students for
their Biology Keystone Exam, as required by the state. The weather was getting
warmer and things were starting to look green again. For the first time, I
started to feel as though I could see the end of the year on the horizon. Could
it be possible that we would actually make it through this crazy school year? Eventually, vaccines became available to everyone older than 16, and case numbers continued to decline. In school, we continued to follow all the COVID-19
protocols we had set up at the beginning of the year, and we were seeing fewer
cases in school. Motivated by a walking challenge offered by my school district,
I spent more time walking outside, which was such a good way to decompress.
Finally, May. Stress from the upcoming Keystone Exams, but I tried not to worry
too much about those- thanks to the pandemic for helping to give me some perspective on what really is worthy of worry! Then, vaccines were approved for emergency use in all those
older than 12, which includes all the students at my school. I had a few
students tell me about the reasons they decided to get vaccinated, although I
have no idea how many of our students have actually decided to do so at this
point. We continued to mask and distance in school. Keystone Exams came and
went, and now we truly were at the end of the school year. Today I said goodbye
to my students for the summer and our class of 2021 graduates this evening. Unbelievably, we made it through this entire
school year.
I am so proud of this year. I am proud of my fellow teachers and
staff- we worked harder this year than we ever have. We had to be creative,
innovative, sensitive, strong, and courageous to do what we did this year.
Everyone- the teachers, the administrators, the nurses, the teacher aides, the
custodians, the cafeteria staff, the secretaries, the counselors- everyone had
to work harder and in new ways to make this year happen. I am proud of our
students. This year was different for them. Yes, they were fortunate to be able
to be back at school when so many students around the country were not, but so much was changed from how it had been in the past.
Students took these changes in stride. Many students were dealing with high
levels of anxiety this year- I have truly never felt it so strongly from my
students as I did this year. Yet, they kept going. Some students decided not to
come to school for in-person learning, and instead worked hard from home to keep
up with their peers who were in class- not an easy task! We all had to navigate a school year during a time none of us had ever experienced before, when we could not predict what would happen and how things would turn out. We all faced enormous challenges- some shared by all and some unique to each of us as individuals. By pulling together, treating each other with kindness and understanding, and plain old hard work, we made it happen. I don't love to use clichés, but we truly were a team this year. No matter what their situation was, I hope
everyone feels a huge sense of accomplishment as we bring this year to a close.
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| This is me at the beginning of the school year, little knowing what it would bring. |
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| Me today, on the last day of school! |
