How a Teacher Became Educated on COVID-19

Alexander Tedesco

March 2020

On March 10th 2020, I was a 5th year student at The College of New Jersey. It was the finishing semester of my Master’s in Education. Student teaching was a serious commitment, as it was 8 AM until 3:15 PM most days. Afterwards, I would normally have a three hour class waiting for me later that evening. In other words, I was teaching 40 hours a week in a Trenton public school, while also having to attend class four out of those five days. In the simplest words, I was a full time teacher, as well as a full time student. I enjoyed my life, as I loved my students dearly and was invested in my classes as both teacher and student in many amazing ways. It still bothered me to see my friends go out every night, as I stayed behind either too busy or too exhausted to come along. Then it simply all stopped. 

The morning of March 10th was no different from any other day. I woke up and put myself together for another day of teaching. These days, conversations of my 4th grade students drifted from innocence to dark concern over this unknown COVID-19. Trying to be a responsible adult, I would typically brush these conversations aside. Before the 10th I would say “The virus is only in China.” Days later it was upon the west coast. Soon after, right in the middle of Mercer county. I would make jokes about “The Ides of March” being upon us (such a history teacher thing to say), and the “dark days upon us.” I was never serious, and my students knew it. 

That evening existed different from no other. I made dinner, hit the gym, and prepared myself for yet another day of my busy lifestyle. I checked my email before I went to sleep. An email from my cooperating teacher explained that school was cancelled for the remainder of the week, and that I was to be off until Monday. He finished the email as so: “Envoy the break as well as the peace and quiet, but if you’d ask me, I’d say get ready for a long couple of months.” I was thrilled to have a break, as I was definitely overworked. However, with the death and destruction to come, how dare I to have ever welcomed so horrible. If only I had known.

A Nurse and her Experiences with Pandemics

For this section, I interviewed my mother who is a registered nurse at a hospital and a surgery center in New Jersey. Many of the questions I had asked her related to her experiences as a professional nurse, working in a hospital during a crisis. 

She discusses the stresses and emotions involved, as well as the difficulty of the world changing around her. Interestingly, she also includes comparisons of the life of healthcare under COVID-19 as well as HIV (which struck when she first became a nurse). Overall, she explained the stress of a changing world, trauma of loss, and the resilience and professionalism of our healthcare workers. 

In the early days of the virus, she recalls the fear of COVID-19, and how it came from its mysterious nature (i.e the “unknown”). She talked about the numerous changes that she and her hospital had faced from the rise of the virus. From things as simple as “not carrying a pocketbook to work anymore,” to things of great magnitude like not allowing critically sick patients to see their families. She brought up how wearing masks and gowns were always common, as people who are sick or contagious are common in her operating room. However, the swift and sudden strike of COVID-19 made it extremely stressful on keeping everything together during the first days. 

She also includes her ideas on how the healthcare world functioned well as a community in the face of such danger. It was remarkable to hear how things such as studies and methods were constantly being shared among each other for the sake of handling the virus better. It truly showed the care, resilience and duty that each healthcare worker holds to such a great degree. 

Mrs. Tedesco also compares the “first days” of COVID-19, to the “first days” of HIV. She discusses the commonalities and differences between the two viruses and how a seasoned and novice nurse reacts to such instances. She discusses how the themes of making the patient feel safe and appreciated were just as important and common back then. She also points out the seriousness of HIV, but admits that COVID-19 was increasingly difficult due to it’s “crash-course” nature, and how everything needed to be learned immediately for the sake of many sick people. 

Mrs. Tedesco also refrains from discussing the impact of COVID-19 on herself, specifically. She refrained from admitting what scared her, or what made her uncomfortable. She constantly put her own concerns aside and put all her sympathies towards the people she was tasked with taking care of. Her concerns or the safety and treatment of her patients came before all else. Aidina Wise discusses the use of “war metaphors” and COVID-19. She dislikes the comparison, as war implies the “all bets are off” mentality, while healthcare should involve less ruthlessness of an approach. I find myself disagreeing with her, as this approach is very clear. People like my mother stop at nothing to ensure the proper care for the patients. “All bets were off” in this sense, as all was to be done to take care of sick people. She and her colleagues used this ruthlessness to not give it an inch, no matter the person or situation.

 It was reassuring to know the care and determination of our healthcare employees. It is understandable that what they go through can never be grasped by the majority of people, including myself. However, it is appreciated nonetheless. Hopefully, future historians will firsthand hear the bravery of these remarkable people. 

Link to Archival Record of Teacher's First Days

Link to Archival Record of Nurse's First Days

Link to oral history recording