Covid: A Relative Return To Normal

Though educators and students continue to feel the pandemic’s influence, this school year so far has for many represented a first few steps toward a post-pandemic education landscape. Within that context, educators continue to stamp feelings of exhaustion and concerns about an overburdened system.

  • “This is my last Saturday before students walk into the classroom, so I had a question for teachers who have already started: What about this school year thus far has been unexpected or challenged your assumptions going into it? #teachertwitter” —High School ELA Teacher in Oregon 
    • “A lot more energy on day one. Felt a lot more like the pre-pandemic days. That being said, the students would benefit from so overt talk about maturity and expectations for student behavior. Nothing punitive, simply ‘this is what’s expected when…’” —High School ELA Teacher in California
    • “Last year felt like students had put up barriers and their trust in us had been broken. It took months to get them to open up and start engaging in class. Made me question my career. This year, 3 weeks in, students are amazing and eager to go. It’s been good.” —Educator, N/A
  • “There have been many days this school year I have gone home crying, but then you reach a kid, and he gets an AHA moment, and you know you must be doing something right.” —Middle School Educator in Texas
  • “Checking in with all my educator friends? How y’all doing?” —Science Teacher in Ohio
    • “Tough day. Way too many demands on my time and not enough time for lesson planning and grading.” —Middle School History Teacher in Virginia
    • “I love love love my kids, love my school, love my co-teacher, but…situations here are making it very very difficult to be positive about this school year.” —Teacher in Florida 
    • “Thriving. All the challenges of the last 2 years seem to have been getting better – not perfect but we have figured some things out. It’s been a great year so far. Lots of teaching going on and great kids!” —Educator, N/A
  • “Here come the Sunday scaries as I begin to imagine what this week will bring. It’s just really hard to be positive this year. I’m failing my students and it’s not my fault. The system as this school is so messed up.” —Elementary SPED Teacher in Texas
  • “Feeling overwhelmed and exhausted in an overburdened educational system is not a personal failure, it’s a systems failure.” —Educator, N/A