How Coronavirus Affects Educators

Hello my lovelies.

So I want to make this post because this is something that affects everyone. As you all know I am an educator and in Virginia school has been closed for the last week and a half due to the coronavirus or its as it is better known as COVID-19. This school closure not only affects me as an educator, this affects my students in terms of their learning.

So on March 13, 2020 the governor announced that all Virginia schools were to be closed for at least two weeks and they were supposed to be open again next week. Today we received the announcement that all Virginia schools were to be closed for the rest of the school year. This as an educator worried me because not only did that mean my students weren't going to get the learning they needed and deserved but as an educator who loves and cares for these kids it broke my heart. Now I teach three year olds and this is the age where they just soak up everything like a sponge. I love watching this process because not only am I proud of them but they are proud of themselves and the smile on their face is just priceless. Not only did they love coming to school to learn but they also loved to come to school to play with their friends. This sucks for them because not only do they miss out on learning new and exciting things, they miss out on getting to see their friends and at this age these are the very first friends they ever make. They didn't get to do a proper goodbye like you would at the end of the year and they don't get to partake in all the fun stuff we had planned for them at the end of the year. It just makes me sad because of it and that's not okay. These are moments and memories that they are going to miss out on.

Now as an educator this affects me in multiple ways. First off, I don't get to do what I love. Second of all, I don't get to see my students and I miss them very much. And lastly I didn't get to give them a proper good bye like we would at the end of the year and I hate that we both get to miss out on that. We miss out on the week where we don't really do any learning but we just have fun and they get to be kids. But hopefully soon I can get together with my co-teacher and we can come up with something for the kids to do. That's also another thing when you're a teacher your co workers become like family and I kind of feel like I'm away from my family too but we're all coping.

Now another aspect I have to worry about is financial. I don't know if I am going to get paid so I have been applying like a mad woman just hoping and praying to get a job. Luckily I have a great support system so I won't have to worry too much. I never thought that I would find myself in a situation where I don't get to do what I love and then worry about financials at the same time. But this just shows that everything can come to a screeching halt and everything can change in so short a time.

This is also makes me appreciate being able to go out and just doing things outside rather than being stuck inside and able to do nothing. At least I have Lucy and for that I am at least thankful.

Hopefully this pandemic will be over soon and that next year we have a full school year, which is something we owe to the kids and the kids deserve.