In America, over 40 states report rises in coronavirus case counts. School reopenings could only magnify the current virus explosion.
Life “Teaching is my whole identity.” Though back-to-school season is imminent, it’s uncertain what that will look like with COVID-19 cases surging across the country. New data from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that children under the age of 10 are very unlikely to contract and spread the virus, while children over 10 can spread it just as well as adults. In Israel, schools reopened, then closed within weeks after a rash of COVID cases left nearly 7,000 students and teachers quarantined. The same thing happened in South Korea, a country that similarly had a very low case count prior to reopening. But in America, coronavirus is nowhere near under control, with over 40 states reporting rises in case counts, which suggests that reopenings will only magnify the current virus explosion. Meanwhile, teachers and administrators are preparing their wills ahead of inevitably contracting COVID-19. Below, four teachers tell Bustle how they’re feeling about the start of the new school year. I want to go back to the classroom as soon as possible. Teaching is my whole identity. I don’t know when we’ll be back in-person, because the district wants everyone to be healthy and safe. But I can’t even imagine an 11-year-old being asked to keep on a mask all day, yet alone a kindergartner. Virtual learning was really difficult in the spring and caused a lot of stress. If parents were using the only computer in the home to work, kids couldn’t connect with us. One of the kids I teach is autistic and thrives on his routine: go to school, come home, do homework. It’s disruptive for a lot of kids to be thrown off their schedules, but it’s especially hard for those with special needs. A lot of my students live in apartments — they’ve been in close quarters and stuck inside for months now. They miss P. E., recess, and being outside. Plus, our school serves a very low-income area, and a lot of our kids eat free breakfast and lunch there every day. It’s a lot of stress for kids to not know where their next fresh meal is coming from. That’s why I’m so gung-ho about reopening. I know a lot of other teachers are nervous, but I just want to see my kiddos.
