By: Campbell Dunne
March 14, 2021
During these, I’ll say it, unprecedented times life has been difficult. High school is already stressful enough even without having to deal with a global pandemic. Juggling work, school, and a social life is a feat mastered by few. Add to that a major global pandemic, and we’ve certainly had a year. With the one year anniversary of the pandemic, I’ve been thinking a lot about how I personally have been impacted. As a student, I find myself putting a lot of blame on my teachers for the extra stress of homework and Zoom meetings. However, this is completely unfair.
I felt compelled to write about something that many of us, as Hoggard students, don’t often think about. The pandemic has been as hard on teachers as it has been on us. Teaching is their livelihood, and it’s been turned completely upside down.
To expound on this and find out what the pandemic’s impact has been on them, I interviewed three wonderful teachers. First, I asked what their biggest challenge is. The overwhelming answer I received was: Juggling all the different forms of classes, and giving students the individual attention that they need.
Madame Field, Hoggard’s resident French teacher, has a mixture of in-person and remote students, with more than four different Canvas pages and three different Edgenuity pages. Can you imagine having to grade assignments in four different ways, comment, and give constructive criticism with barely being able to talk to your students?
In every conversation I had with these teachers, the word that I heard the most was “frustrating”. Our teachers are frustrated. They are frustrated with not being able to facilitate our educational growth as easily as in a “normal” year. Ms. Florea, who teaches AP English, said that she’s working harder now than she ever has as a teacher. Teachers have homework too; they spend time outside of the classroom coming up with new ways to keep us engaged and planning lessons where every student can be reached. It can be disappointing for them when they take all of this extra time to create great assignments and then have no one appreciate it.
Teachers are also frustrated with the inability to give each student the attention that they deserve. No matter the subject, there has been no easy way to give feedback quickly and easily. It’s been especially hard for teachers to talk to a screen full of names. It creates a disconnect when they have to teach people all year long and they haven’t seen anyone’s face.
A challenge that was not anticipated was being able to continue with the expected rigor of each class while attending to students' needs on different platforms. Ms. Florea spoke to this and said that “So many factors that can prevent a student from doing well. Mental health, technology, family, etc. It's harder to be aware of that when you’re not in school. I’m appreciative when a student reaches out.” Nobody thought we’d have to live through a major global pandemic.
Try to remember that our teachers are trying their hardest to make school worthwhile for us. They live to help us learn and grow as students, but first and foremost as young adults. This year has hit them hard too, and they are simply trying to help. Hoggard’s AP Chemistry teacher Mrs. Smith said it best, “I just want to make sure that I’m doing my best for you.”