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Teachers face the challenges of the pandemic and violence

2021-12-17T21:34:58.388Z


CNN received testimonials from teachers across the United States explaining why this has been the hardest year.


(CNN) -

A teacher says she has been seriously injured twice by students.

Another says she's so exhausted at the end of the day that she doesn't have the energy to get up from the couch.

A third has already made the mental math that, in the event of a school shooting, she will stay with her disabled students instead of trying to flee to safety.


Last month's deadly shooting at an Oxford, Michigan high school is yet another reminder of the many tensions facing educators in the United States, as they continue to grapple with the overwhelming challenges of teaching in a pandemic.

Another increase in coronavirus infections, and the looming threat of a return to virtual or hybrid teaching, only increases the anxiety of teachers.

  • The attacker shot "methodically and deliberately" at the students.

    A timeline of the tragic Michigan school shooting

A vague and viral TikTok trend that warned of widespread violence in the country's schools this Friday, which the authorities have ruled out as not credible, has nevertheless led to the widespread closure of schools, has put the resources of the authorities to the test. and it has put families on edge before a critical season of holiday travel.

"I'm trying to find joy in my work right now," one teacher told CNN, "because I'm hanging by a thread."


CNN recently asked school teachers to tell us about their jobs and how they are coping.

More than 700 responded, from all corners of the country.

Many said that this has been the hardest year for teaching they have ever had.

They asked CNN not to reveal their last names for fear of retaliation.

  • Viral TikTok Warnings About Gun Violence Not Credible, But They Keep Schools And Law Enforcement Agencies On High Alert

A teacher speaks to distance learning students at an elementary school in San Francisco in October 2020.

Teachers are concerned about the threat of shootings at their schools

The mass shootings strike a chord with a veteran Florida teacher who calls herself Bear.

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"One of my alumni died at Pulse, and I live 20 minutes from Parkland," he said, referring to the 2016 shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando and the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Bear teaches at a special needs center and has already been through this.

She kept her students calm after the 1999 Columbine shooting and told her class that everything would be fine after September 11, 2001. After both tragedies, she cried in the parking lot, out of the sight of her students, and then came back. , ready to help them.

"We reach out to our students when the worst of the worst in the world has happened, and yet we stand up front and try to make them feel safe," he said.

"But inside we are also scared to death."

"I have personally taught students with the same violent thoughts, the same enabling parents, the same access to weapons as Ethan. This is a story that could take place anywhere ... I have seen children like him brought back into the classroom. of class".

Brooke, a former high school teacher from California.

The video of panicked students jumping out of a classroom window at Oxford Preparatory School offers a visceral look at the terror of a school shooting.

That video stuck with Bear because he knows he would never be able to do that with his students, many of whom are in wheelchairs or do not speak, he said.

  • Students grabbed scissors to defend themselves and escaped through a window in deadly Michigan shooting

"God forbid a shooter comes into our building. I'm not running with these kids," he said.

"There is no way I am going to jump out of the window with a child in a wheelchair. I am staying with that child."

Bear says his wife knows that's what he would do in a shooting.

It is something your family has to live with.

So far in 2021 there have been at least 52 shootings in elementary schools in the United States, according to an analysis by CNN.

By comparison, there were 37 in all of 2019, the last full year before the pandemic disrupted face-to-face learning in many schools.

Every time there is news of another school shooting, a rush of adrenaline runs through Angela, a teacher at a small alternative high school in Washington state.

He tries to remain calm and professional, but is infuriated by the loss of life and the fact that the United States has not done more to stop violence in schools, he says.

Boston Public School teachers and volunteers deliver printed packets for students to take home on March 16, 2020.

After each shooting at a school, Angela says that she and her colleagues take stock of their students and their mental health needs.

They watch for signs of distress and ask if someone is being bullied or feels marginalized.

After a shooting, there is an additional layer of scrutiny, he says.

School shootings and the pandemic, in addition to all the other tasks teachers have to juggle every day, create an underlying layer of stress that won't go away, Angela says.

"Every day I have the sensation of going through quicksand trying to sink me," he says.

"I try to reach the edge, but I can't quite make it."

Many teachers struggle to preserve their sanity

If you ask a teacher why they chose a career in education, they will probably tell you that it is because of the love of their students or because of the little moments they hope will have a lasting impact on children's lives.

But for exhausted teachers in 2021, those ideals may be lost.

Emily, a science teacher in Minnesota, says she has spent her 11 years of work putting students first.

But this year she is exhausted, demoralized and experiencing burnout.

Emily said she left social media and drastically reduced the amount of work she takes home.

With 200 students under her care, she said the changes were necessary to preserve her mental health.

"I know I'm not doing my best right now," he said.

"And that is to survive. That is to wake up and be able to take the first step."

"We are tired of 'we do it for the result, not the income'. This is first and foremost a job and there are some incredible benefits, but when we feel denigrated and feel like we are being taken advantage of, we carry those feelings. And that is it. it's tough. ”Emily, Minnesota science teacher.

This year, Emily said that she has essentially been serving as a therapist, nurse, counselor, and life coach for her students, as well as teaching them about science.

"If I could explain what the teaching is like right now, I'd say it's like trying to build a house of cards with a deck, but you're out, and there are 10-mile-an-hour winds and the table you're trying to build on is ... one of the legs is broken, so it wobbles, "he said.

"And you know, the cards are burning and all the time you have people yelling at you from the sidelines ... So it's all chaos."


But as a teacher, Emily said, it's not in her nature to give up.

Many teachers told CNN that they fear they have reached a point of mental exhaustion.

And it's not just the teachers;

Pediatricians in the pandemic have a record number of children with mental health problems, the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics said Tuesday.

Parents walk past their children after the shooting at the Oxford High School in Michigan on November 30.

Kelly, a special education teacher in New York City, said that as much as she would like to exercise or do something on her own after the school day, she doesn't have the energy to leave her couch.

He often sits there silently, "feeling like I have nothing left."

Emily said she sees a lot of people turn to alcohol to cope with their stress.

She said that she did too, until one day she realized that her drinking was hindering her relationships with her family and how she felt about herself.

If she hadn't stopped drinking, Emily said, she doesn't think she'd be teaching now.

And he's not just concerned with his mental health.

Emily said she constantly looks for signs of her students' well-being when they seem to be having emotional or academic problems.

  • How to Revitalize Exhausted Tweens and Teens After the Pandemic

"I had a principal who said that mental health days are only for weekends, which was a real crap, another example of the administration not supporting teachers' mental health and then wondering why everyone quits." .

Kelly, Special Education Teacher from New York

"I really care more about creating problem-solving individuals who are productive members of society than (school work)," he said.

"We live in Minnesota, we're dealing with George Floyd and Daunte Wright. My kids of color need to have these conversations. My white kids need to know. They are really important things to give space to."

"Teaching is putting others before oneself," he continued, adding that many people outside the profession do not understand how much teachers sacrifice for their students.

"And I think that's what affects me the most right now."

They are seeing more violence in their schools

Dozens of teachers who wrote to CNN said they have observed more violence, threats and behavior problems, from yelling to physical fights, in their schools.

Kate, a high school teacher in Connecticut, said she has been injured twice by students at her school, so badly that she had to ask permission both times.

Kate said she had to undergo knee surgery after a student injured her a couple of years ago.

She asked CNN not to reveal how she was injured, for fear of being identified.

"I was shocked," he said, referring to the knee incident.

"I was very angry that someone did this. And there were no consequences, not even an apology" from the student.

A school board member hugs a school bus driver as they return to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

It was the first time that teachers and staff had been allowed to return to the school since the mass shooting in February 2018.

Kate said she has seen an increase in violence in recent years at her school, from students throwing punches to pushing themselves down the stairs.

She said it started before the pandemic, but this year it is worse.

"I do not feel safe at school. We have received reports about weapons that students have brought to our school," she said.

"I hear the students yell at each other, threaten each other, insult each other. I have heard someone threaten the teacher. ... the verbal abuse is just unbelievable."

Kate said some of her students don't feel safe either.

"I have had several students who have come to me as one of their trusted adults and have told me that they do not feel safe in their classrooms," he said.

"That breaks my heart."

Kate said she feels like she can't quit her job, partly out of loyalty to her students, but also because "if I leave the teaching profession now, it's going to end my retirement later."

"We cry behind closed doors, we fear for our lives, but we have ALWAYS put children first ... Teaching is making children feel safe, even though we are not," said Bear, a teacher at a special needs center in California. Florida.

  • Sandy Hook school shooting: this was the massacre that shook America in 2012

Henry, a special education teacher at an urban high school in southern California, said he's seen more violence among students lately and a greater disconnect between students and their studies.

"I just think guys in general are a lot more intractable," he said.

"They don't want to be in the classroom, they are irritated, their grades are down, and just like us, they are frustrated with grades, homework, and the initiation and interruption (of face-to-face teaching in the pandemic)."

Between pandemic protocols and behavior issues, there is too much going on this year for teachers to handle well, Henry said.

"I feel like our principal and the district are trying to support us with every bit of resources they have, but they just don't have the answers to our problems," he wrote.

"We are so overwhelmed with questions and answers that the only way to deal with it is to step back and put one foot in front of the other."

Staff at the Brooklyn Academy of Sciences and Engineering prepare for the school's reopening in New York in September 2021.

Some teachers quit because they are fed up

Kelly thought she would teach for the rest of her life, but after seven years this Special Education teacher in New York made the difficult decision to leave the profession next June.

"I feel like my heart can't take it anymore," he said.

"And it feels terrible and I feel this guilt because I feel like I'm letting the children down or leaving them behind with this decision I'm going to make. But that's what this system does: it takes advantage of people with good hearts and who want to help and make a change, and I think that's disgusting. "

Kelly said she has been pressured to the point of no return by school administrators who have ignored her concerns and requests for more mental health resources.

And that's why he's looking for work outside of education.

“It is physically exhausting.

This is the second day of driving to work and sitting in the car and asking myself if I really want to go today. "

Anna, a Washington high school teacher.

Many of his colleagues "fantasize" about quitting, he says.

Kelly is not alone.

Stress, exacerbated by covid-19, was the most common reason cited in 2020 to explain why teachers left the profession early, according to a study by the Rand Corporation.

And early data suggests that the trend continues this year in various parts of the country.

  • Florida needs more than 5,000 teachers, according to one education group.

    The culprits are the pandemic and low wages

Kelly said teacher burnout usually happens around May or June, at the end of the school year, but in 2021 it started for her and other colleagues in September.

Then, he said, was when he knew it was time to quit.

The pandemic has also been traumatic for teachers as well as students, he said.

"For me, mental health over the years is very important now, and it is not worth emptying my glass, essentially because of people who do not care about me or my students."

Despite everything, many teachers still love what they do

If you spend a day in Natalie Stuart's third grade classroom in Davie, Florida, you will want to go back to elementary school and learn from her.

Early in the pandemic, Stuart downloaded TikTok for fun, and it quickly became an integral part of his lesson plans.

At a time when students were glued to technology and social media, Stuart said he knew he had to meet them where they were.

"If I don't incorporate fun activities, they are not going to participate," he said.

A second-grade teacher at Colin L. Powell Elementary School helps a student read aloud a letter he wrote to Colin Powell's family following his death from complications from Covid-19.

On her TikTok account, she shows Cardi B's paper puppets, dance trends, references to "The Office," and dozens of previews of how she relates to her students.

  • OPINION |

    Teaching During a Pandemic: Car Consultations, 2am Texting, and Zoom Therapy

Stuart's creative teaching style got her featured in Fort Lauderdale Magazine, which named her the best teacher in town in 2021.

Stuart said he spends about $ 1,000 out of his own pocket each year to make sure he has the supplies he needs to conduct his lessons.

He used to spend more, but cut it down to protect his budget.

The 34-year-old said she still lives with her mother because her salary doesn't cover the rent for a one-bedroom apartment.

Seeing many of his colleagues drop out of teaching has been disheartening, he said.

"Right now, it is important that good teachers who stay in the profession manage their days differently so as not to burn out," he said.

"Although for me it is very easy to say it, because I am not going to lie: I am also exhausted. The only thing is that I am not going to show that exhaustion to my students because they do not need it."

Stuart said she's started taking mental health breaks and finding more time off for herself so she can have more energy for her students.

To alleviate stress, she exercises, meditates, takes homework home more than twice a week, and doesn't check email after 6 p.m.

"I go to work every day motivated to make my students happy, to make them laugh, so that they like to learn," says Stuart.

"Because, after all, that's why I became a teacher."

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2021-12-17

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