Southern Border Section Update

Southern

Southern Border Section Update

by Dr. Jeff Malecki

Things are great at the bottom of the state!

Southern Border Section is proud to bring you a CMEA magazine first! This issue’s article will interview Rachael Grace Schiavo, who at the ripe age of 10 months old, is very likely the youngest CMEA interviewee ever! We also let Rachael’s mom Laura Schiavo, SBS immediate past president and current state CMEA secretary, interject occasionally to give us insight and advice on being a pregnant and new-mom music educator.

Laura has been teaching for thirteen years, currently at the Creative Performing Media Arts Middle School arts magnet in the San Diego Unified School District. Her teaching duties include teaching three levels of orchestra over grades six through eight. She also has several administrative duties, including coordinating testing and serving as acting principal when needed. Her daughter Rachael was born last July. I was happy to sit down with Laura (LS) and Rachael (RS) recently to hear about how they maneuvered through teaching during the pandemic. I also opened the conversation to the questions Laura thought I should be asking.

JM: Did you give any thought to the school year when planning your family?

RS: [happy little scream]

LS: My husband always made fun of me because I told him I wanted to plan having a baby around the school year which you really can't do because you never know what will happen. But I also really love my students and I didn't want to miss out on any opportunities with them. Ideally, I wouldn't miss any concerts. So my husband and I had a window, a few months, when we really wanted to get pregnant. Did it work? Yes, my baby was due in July. But I think that was pure luck more than anything else.

JM: Did the shift to remote learning in March have any extra benefits or drawbacks?

LS: It was actually somewhat of a blessing, because I had high blood pressure towards the end and I probably couldn't have been at school. My doctor told me they would have pulled me out anyways. And because it was a lot of stress on my body, suddenly it became kind of a blessing in disguise. Of course I was figuring out the crazy transition to online learning with everyone else.

JM: How many months were you pregnant teaching in person? With the first trimester often being the sickest, how were you?

LS: About four months: November, December, January, February. I think the first trimester is the worst! I always felt terrible, with horrible morning sickness. I was throwing up all the time. I walk my dog, pull into a parking lot, anywhere… and I’d be throwing up. I really only threw up at school once. An hour before a concert, I was totally throwing up, and I remember being in the bathroom praying to not let me throw up on stage!

JM: Wow, that’s hard! Can I put this in the article?

LS: Doesn't bother me, that's part of the story! It’s a part of it for me and a lot of pregnant women.

RS: [Mumbles]

JM: Were your relationships with colleagues, administrators, and students any different?

LS: I feel like everyone was really supportive. I shared my pregnancy early, in confidence, with my administration and my closest friends at school. I think them knowing made it easier, because then if I was struggling one day I could talk to them, or they were there to help me out. My vice principal texted me offering to cover my class whenever I needed it. So they were all really supportive.

My students were great! They were super cute and they were really excited for me. They were all super supportive of me taking time off, and wanted me to spend time with Rachael, understanding this year was different for me. A lot of kids would come by and talk

Laura Schiavo and Rachael Grace Schiavo