The year 2020 has been one tough roller coaster ride. As a teacher, the sudden shut down of schools in March due to COVID-19 came as an extreme shock and put all of us in a situation we never faced before and never thought we would. We were faced with so many uncertainties due to not knowing what was going to happen.
Luckily, we got to stay home, teach our students online, and keep ourselves and our families safe and sound.
Now as the 2020/2021 year is about to begin and most international schools have decided to bring the kids back on campus, As a teacher, I can’t help but freak out.

Via: The New Yorker- Teachers during the pandemic
I am so worried about every single aspect, from the students and the staff around me to myself and the well-being of my family. So many questions keep popping up in my mind. What if one of my students catches COVID-19? How will I handle the situation? Being on campus during a pandemic and being responsible for so many people around me puts so much mental pressure on me.
How will I handle a group of kids and convince them to keep their face masks on for such a long period of time? As an adult, I feel like I am going suffocate after wearing the mask for so long. How do I expect little kids to do it?
What if someone at school catches the virus and I bring it back to my family? What will I do with my son? What if I get sick? Who will take care of my family? So many questions keep going through my brain and unfortunately, most of them are negative thoughts due to the seriousness of the virus.

Via: Wallstreet Journal – Teachers during the pandemic
As a teacher, I feel like I have a social responsibility of keeping my students safe, but then again it is sort of impossible because of the nature of COVID-19. I pray that nothing happens to them and they stay safe.
As a mother, I feel responsible to keep my family safe and to make sure I take as many precautions as possible to continue keeping them safe. But my question is: How long will this last? How long will we keep living in this fear of the unknown? It all feels like a nightmare and I really hope from the bottom of my heart that this all ends soon and that my students, colleagues, and family members, myself included come out of it safe and sound.

Via: Fox Carolina – Teachers during the pandemic
It breaks my heart to see the kids having their childhood being shaped differently. Telling them not to mingle, not to hug their friends, to keep a distance, will definitely be a tough thing to do, but then again I am doing my job to keep them safe. Hopefully, things go as smoothly as possible and things do not spiral out of control with the opening of schools and these kids get their happy times back.
Further reading: How to Explain to Kids About coronavirus Without Scaring Them
Comment With Facebook