The Other Side of the Screen: Teachers and COVID-19

March 13, 2020: The day that marked how American education would take one of the biggest shifts of the 21st century.

It was a Friday, and no one anticipated that the seemingly two-week vacation from school due to COVID-19 would actually mean a school year that was terminated of normalcy; not just for students, but teachers as well. 

Teaching has never been an easy job, and the pandemic has only amplified the challenges and worries many teachers have always had. The Hechinger Report, a national nonprofit news organization that’s based solely on education, found that in Louisiana “40 percent of [teachers] who responded reported clinically relevant signs of depression.” Though the findings were based in Louisiana, the same sentiment rings true for many teachers in America.

Jonathon Kuffert is a fourth-grade teacher at Harrington Elementary School in Chelmsford, Massachusetts. Mr. Kuffert, like many other teachers, says that handling the pressures of teaching this year has been challenging.

“I try to handle it by making things as normal as possible,” he says. With a mix of online and in-person classes, Mr. Kuffert says modeling patience and flexibility for his students is one of the most important ways to set an example for the kids right now. “Using myself as an example to show them how to be safe, how this is the new normal, it’s just what life is right now and that’s what I’ve been trying to say since the beginning of the year” says Kuffert.

One of the biggest assets that come with teaching is being able to form a bond with your students. Teachers are mentors beyond what’s being taught in the classroom. Relationship-building and especially role-modelling is a fundamental part of connecting with elementary school students. A study from the University of New South Wales reported that teachers “who experience more positive relationships with students tend to report greater wellbeing at work and in broader life.” 

For Mr. Kuffert, he’s found that it’s been harder to establish that relationship with his students this year: “It’s taken a lot longer than a normal year. Especially with the kids fully remote at home, it’s taken a lot longer to get to know them,” which is one of the hardest things he’s acknowledged about this pandemic.

Additionally, there has been a burnout amongst teachers this year, as Mr. Kuffert testifies for himself and his colleagues, but the optimal side of this pandemic has been growth. Every day is exhausting, but Mr. Kuffert feels motivated by his students’ enthusiasm to be better. “They’re at a good age where they’re still interested in all the things we’re teaching, and that motivates me to make the lessons exciting and engaging. Fourth graders are great in that way.” Dealing with the conditions of COVID-19, Mr. Kuffert feels as though he’s improved immensely as a teacher.

As the pandemic ensues and quarantine persists, the encouragement of teachers in these difficult times has not gone unnoticed. 

Mr. Kuffert wants to offer other teachers this year the reassurance that “you know how to do this, hard things are going to be hard. You learn each day how to make yourself a better teacher. No matter what you think, you’re good at your job.