THE BALANCING ACT Being a Teacher and a Parent in Uncertain Times BY DANIELA ESPINO @danielaa_espino
The reality of having to teach during a global pandemic is epitomized by a recent conversation with one of my 11th graders. We have been preparing for the AP English exam since last August, and testing will occur this week. She sent me a long email about being stressed over the practice exam we took because she was caring for a sick family member simultaneously. I reassured her that everything would be okay and offered an alternative assignment that she could complete successfully. She sent me an emotional reply stating how grateful she was for my support and that she really needed my affirmations that day. This is teaching during a pandemic. We are being asked to continue to hold students to high expectations while providing levels of academic, social, and emotional support higher than we ever have. This is what is being asked of our teachers right now and we are doing all we can to rise to the occasion for our students. We owe them this.
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Here in Richmond, CA, it took my school site team three days to get distance learning off the ground and into practice. We were given notice during our afternoon PD on Thursday, March 12th that we would be doing distance learning for a few weeks, and we used Friday, March 13th to “prepare” ourselves as best we could. We quickly produced technology surveys, gathered students’ contact information, and began to brainstorm what lessons we would give to students to do at home. Over the next few weeks, we formalized our distance learning process and began to learn from the mistakes we were undoubtedly making. I think back to the conversations we were having on March 13th and compare them to the recent staff meetings and PDs we’ve had and am so proud to be a part of such an amazing team. Our school leadership is constantly reminding us to take care of ourselves and provides us with the professional support we need to be able to do so. My academic coach has been instrumental in helping me make sense of student data and