Dublin Core
Title
How a teacher became educated on COVID-19
Subject
The perspective of a teacher during the first days of a declared pandemic (March 10-March 12).
Description
The perspective of a teacher during the first days of a declared pandemic (March 10-March 12).
Creator
Alexander Tedesco
Date
March 10th through March 12th, 2020.
Language
English
Coverage
New Jersey
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
The “First Days” of a Teacher
Alexander Tedesco
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.
Alexander Tedesco
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.