Items

• 
  2022-05-20

  Online School Problems

  Having such a difficult school year before the pandemic hit, I initially couldn’t be more excited for this break from those all nighters. After getting the opportunity to recharge for a few weeks, finishing the school year was relatively easy. Summer flew by, and I soon realized that my entire junior year would be online as well. I quickly found the homogeneity to be unavoidable; I could sleep and attend school without moving more than a few feet. Each day was the same, a mechanical routine of jumping from Zoom meeting to Zoom meeting. Countless students would log into these meetings for roll call, and simply tilt the camera at the ceiling fan as they went out with friends or took a nap. It was easy to think this situation was just an obstacle to get past, another building block for the vision I had put in place for the years after high school. For me, this vision was about college, building knowledge towards my future career, and compiling a worthy resume. However, there was no reason I couldn't give value to this time period, to give meaning to each day such that they didn’t all blend together. From the daily differences in curriculum to the unique interactions of each period, I found these minute contrasts to be more significant. Realizing the importance of being mindful, even when little to no dynamic quality existed, allowed me to continue furthering my studies and interests. Looking back now, during a time when I have gotten accepted to one of the best schools I could’ve ever asked for, I think about how difficult that year and a half was for me, and how much harder the situation was for many other individuals. Again, the biggest lesson I learned was the importance of mindfulness. Whether it be a triumph or a tragedy, these life events should not be skimmed over like a mountain or trough to pass through. They are all lessons in some form, pieces of knowledge that should be taken with thought.
• 
  2021

  High School Yearbook in 2021

  Included is a picture of the page of a yearbook from the school that I work at for the 2021-2022 school year. This school year was very unique in that we started the year online. All classes were held virtually through Zoom from August to the end of September. At the end of September, students returned to school using a phased-in approach where one grade level at a time returned. After Winter Break, the school was held virtually again for two weeks. During the time that we were in-person, teachers were required to teach students in-person and online through Zoom at the same time. Because of that, I would have students in the classroom, and students listening to me and interacting with me through Zoom. Many students with health concerns never came to school in person. For everyone else, masks were required at all times. In addition, teachers were required to move desks in a way that students were at least three feet apart from each other shoulder-to-shoulder. This yearbook page shows different ways that teachers and students were affected during this year. The top left picture showed a Zoom screen with the students attending Zoom class. The large picture underneath shows a masked teacher standing in front of her students while also showing her students on Zoom behind her. Other pictures show teachers with their Zoom classes and empty classrooms. The text on the side was written by students who took the Yearbook class. It shows a student perspective on the pandemic and why classes were made to be held virtually for students. The 2021-2022 yearbook as a whole is an important object to me as this is the first and only school year that was affected by COVID-19 in its entirety in a way that can be seen visually. This year was unlike any other and forced me to have to change and adapt constantly. During this school year, I had to space students apart and had to make a seating chart for every class. If a student needed to move for a few minutes for any reason (like needing to charge their laptop), I would have to update the seating chart with the date to show where that student was and who they were sitting by. If a student tested positive for COVID-19, any students within three feet of them then had to stay home and learn virtually for a set amount of time. This time changed throughout the year but could be six to ten days. Looking back on these memories, I believe that it is so important to see what students and teachers went through during this time, as we are all still trying to catch up and adjust to the way that the pandemic disrupted and changed beliefs, attitudes, expectations, and ways of learning.
• 
  2020-03-15

  Together and Apart

  Flagstaff AZ. My husband was an occupational therapist who regularly worked in the ICU at Flagstaff Medical Center. I remember the week after the lockdown started (March 15th or so) the Covid-19 numbers were doubling every week at FMC. My husband started changing out of his scrubs and shoes in the garage. I was a speech therapist with the school district and we were all asked to stay home, which was good because I have two school-aged children. As the Covid numbers started to skyrocket in our region due to a devastating outbreak on the Navajo nation, my husband became more and more worried about bringing the virus home since there was a shortage of PPE. When it was announced that my own job would go remote and I would need to start scheduling teletherapy sessions with my students, we decided it would be better for me and the kids to go live with my mom and dad in Tempe for a few weeks. My mom is a retired teacher and offered to teach my kids while I worked with my students online. The kids loved having grandma be their teacher. I had to learn how to work with preschoolers with disabilities over Zoom, which is no easy task! Meanwhile, my husband was providing us updates; when he finally got fitted for a tyvek suit was a happy day because he could spend all day in it helping patients. The doctors were trying new therapies with patients every week, but mostly he saw many people seem to get better and then take unexpected deadly turns. Treating isolated, scared patients while feeling helpless to know what to do was taking a toll on everyone at the hospital. The kids and I spent 7 weeks with my mom, face-timing him every night. Finally, as the school-year came to a close, we were able to reunite. I captured the moment we got home and my husband hugged my 5 year old son. We were so lucky; no one in the family had gotten sick so far despite my husband being in close proximity to patients each day. Over the summer and into the next school year we were hoping for some normalcy to return but it was nothing but adapting to change. The kids made friends with the neighbors down the street not by playing in the front yard, but by yelling greetings over the fence. When they started school in the fall we organized a "pod" with other families whose children were in the same classes as ours at DeMiguel elementary. We had four kindergarteners and three 2nd graders all doing school over Zoom at the same time, which was not easy for the parents who had to oversee them (my husband had the honor at least once a week), but the kids really benefitted from having friends to play with during breaks. We saw them become more motivated to participate and happier overall. I started seeing some students in-person for the first time at the school on a very limited basis. I wore clear PPE products so my students could see my mouth. The kids didn't go back to in-person school until about a year after the lockdown (Spring 2021). As the school year ended, the wildest school year of our lives, things did start to seem normal again, but we ended up leaving Flagstaff for Tucson due to soaring high home prices and my husband needing a fresh start away from the memories of the early pandemic.
• 
  2022-05-05

  Wave of COVID-19 closes Enfield school

  This is a news story by 22 News by Kayleigh Thomas. This is about a school that was forced to close down due to rises in COVID cases. Of the 75 staff members, 40 have tested positive. On Monday, a letter was sent telling parents about the school closure.
• 2020-03-06

  Senior to Sophomore

  It was the Friday before Spring Break. Senior year, everyone is joyful with big plans to get out of the harsh Arizona sun. Rumors of a flu-like virus spreading in China were heard but never hit mainstream media which meant, not our problem. I was helping out at our school's Volleyball tournament that day, listening to the new Lil Uzi album that was hyped for so many years, life simply could not get any better. I had secured a good scholarship for college and was nearing the end of my last semester of highschool without a doubt in my mind, but it all changed so quickly. No one knew that would be the last time I saw my graduating class, that I would never have a traditional graduation, that our final plans for the last day of school were all worthless. I still remember the day as if it never ended, the day when everything in my life went upside down and the world was sent into a mass state of panic and depression. Seeing friends was near impossible as everyone was scared of what may happen outside. So many people that I graduated with and interacted with every single day, gone, never to be seen or heard from again. Though Arizona did at first avoid most lockdowns and mask mandates, luckily many people still took the necessary precautions. The first lockdown was possibly the most eventful and enjoyable as everyone was in the same idle and confused state with nothing to do and no aim as for where to go. The rise of a new app called TikTok took the world by storm and provided entertainment for everyone. It was a new place for everyone to connect and share ideas and surely enough, society was instantly hooked. It was the beginning of the new online semester of schooling alongside the second wave of lockdown here that truly began the depressive wave on all students. Many students, as well as I, still to this today are struggling to stay focused in online schooling and this meant very poorly educated and depressed students for over a year. No amount of aid from teachers or staff could cure this lack of socialization and the sole ability to make friends and connections that is required in schools. All of a sudden, fast forward from the middle of my senior year of high school to Sophomore year at university, life has done a full 360 and social interaction is a foreign language. Masks are required so no one knows who is who and friend groups are only for those that pertained throughout the pandemic.
• 
  2021-07-15

  High School COVID-19 Expectations and Procedures

  The document is the "COVID-19 Parent/Guardian Expectations" section of a school handbook for the 2021-2022 school year. For this school district, the 2021-2022 school year is the first year since the pandemic started that would be entirely in-person. Due to this, school staff, parent/guardians, and students were expected to comply with essential health and safety standards. The handbook covers when students should be kept home from school, how to report symptoms of COVID-19 or a positive test, bus protocols, sanitation policies followed by teachers and school staff, mask expectations, cafeteria and food procedures, accommodations for social distancing, requirements of school volunteers, and athletics. This document shows how schools worked to create policies and procedures in order to keep students in school in-person. These procedures were created in anticipation of the first school year that would be completely in-person, since the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years were partially online.
• 
  2020-03-13

  The Tragedy of the Covid-19 Pandemic

  I was in my senior year of High School when covid happened. That year that was going so well ended so badly. Once covid hit I lost all my friends and my girlfriend at the time. Everything changed and I worked at a grocery store. Ive never seen so many people at like such animals. while working at the store there would be about 4-5 fights a day and people were just fighting and emptying the shelves. It was scary to see that this is what was happening to our world and all I could really do was just sit there and watch and still hope that we would have enough product for me to still have a job. And that's not even the worst of it. I lost all of the fun things that happen senior year. I never got to go to prom, I never had a graduation ceremony, I lost everything. my girlfriend started lying and saying she couldn't see me because of coiled and I eventually found out she was cheating. I lost all my friends as well. The worst part of it is with everyone being quarantined, if you walked outside it looked like an abandoned waste land. little to no human life for months. You'd only see people at the stores and even then they aren't acting like the same people you once knew. But covid has done worse to me. Its ruined my football career and taken my dream away. It is what it is and I'm doing what I can to move on, but this pandemic changed me and everyone else. things are starting to go kinda back how they were but its not the same. Things will never be how they once were. Even when this virus fully passes and ends up just like the flu, the strain it has left on mankind as a whole will always be there. And even when historians in 50 years look back at this, No matter what there will be some part of them that has been effected by this. I honestly don't have much more to say because I feel like I've said what matters. All I have left to say is if you grew up/ are growing up during this I'm so sorry that this is what you also have to live through.
• 
  2021-04-26

  P-EBT returns for Tempe Public Schools

  One unexpected surprise during the pandemic was that everyone enrolled at my daughter's school received the pandemic-electronic benefit transfer. Essentially, because kids were at home learning online, they did not receive breakfast or lunch at school. There were pickup options, but we didn't really use that service. So, instead, the state mailed us a card that can be used to buy groceries. It was really unexpected, and we just found out that we get another allowance this week. It's a really nice boost to the grocery budget and it recognizes the importance of nutritious, consistent meals for kids.
• 
  2021-04-07

  NC Law proposed would ban Trans Students and Report Them

  A new law making its way through the North Carolina legislator would force educators to out Transgender students to their parents. It also would not allow for people younger than 21 to have hormones for transgender surgery or to have surgery or anything like that.
• 
  2021-03-01

  California Parents' Opinions on Schools Reopening

  This provides a general impression of California's parents' thoughts towards reopening in-person schools. Surveys selected from the country-wide populace as well as California district-wide populations were considered. They don't only provide demographics. They also provide some context and reasons for why the participants felt a certain way. One of those responses was "Yes (only if the vaccine is readily available)", another being "No (prefer distance learning)" by an overwhelming amount. It helps inform us of the public opinion while vaccines were still in its early rollout stages.
• 
  2021-03-15

  "Phoenix-area school districts alter plans as COVID-19 cases decrease"

  (48) K-12 Arizona school districts list their respective plans the return no later date than March 15th, 2021 or after the district's Spring break ends. This story coincides with the mandate issued by Governor Doug Ducey on February 12, 2021- which calls on Arizona districts to prepare for in-person instruction.
• 
  2021-03-21

  A Year Into COVID-19's Impact on California's Education

  A comprehensive timeline of all the major events that occurred related to California's education; K-12 to college-level. It starts on March 4, 2020 with the latest entry at March 11, 2021.
• 
  2021-03-11

  Cynthia Jensen Oral History, 03/11/2021

  Cynthia Jensen is an executive secretary for a Superintendent of Schools office in a rural town in California. In this oral history, she discusses how the pandemic has affected her workplace, coworkers, family, and community, explaining her disappointment with the official response to the pandemic. She also touches on her experience getting the vaccine, and how she feels about the future now that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Cynthia also discusses her concerns from the start of the pandemic, and how those concerns have shifted or grown throughout the past year. She hopes that moving forward, there will be better preparation for outbreaks such as this, and a stronger unified response from the general public. Looking to the next year, she predicts that it will take time for the schools to recover and find ways to best support students and staff.
• 
  2020-05-15

  "PCSing in the time of COVID-19: Four families share their stories"

  This story follows four military families as they prepare for Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders. The process is further complicated due to COVID-19 restrictions. Each family shares how they had to adjust routine travel plans; taking into account state-by-state orders as well as trying to navigate schooling for children. While PCS orders are a reality of all military members, during 2020 there were significant changes delivered by the Department of Defense.
• 
  2021-01-31

  Trying New Things With Teaching

  I currently teach sixth grade Social Studies and due to the pandemic, I have been in and out of face to face teaching for about a year. The pandemic has caused me to try new things educational software-wise in my virtual classes. Before the pandemic, I would have considered myself a pretty tech-savvy teacher but now I have fully integrated many new educational programs into my toolbox. I am now using new programs like News ELA and Flocabulary to increase student engagement in my virtual classes. NewsELA lets me choose articles about current events or subjects we are currently learning about. The students then can discuss these topics in class together which has caused many of them to come out of their shells. Flocabulary brings various Social Studies topics alive by turning them into animated rap videos which my students love. I even see myself sometimes bopping along to the songs. Overall, these two programs have increased my student's engagement and interaction with one another in class.
• 
  2021-01-31

  Change in Teaching

  As a teacher for thirteen years of Social Studies this pandemic has greatly impacted me when it comes to my job as an educator. As teachers, we do lesson plans, grade assignments, implement IEPS/504s, hold parent/ teacher conferences, motivate students, listen to students, increase student growth, and so much more. However, due to COVID-19, the role of the educator has changed even more from not just educating the student, we have to now clean the desks and surfaces when we are in person or even virtual when reporting to the building. I have to wear face masks when in common areas, teaching online all day even if we are face to face because there are still students at-home learning. This shift from being able to sit next to a student and walk around the room to now being away from them all together has caused a shift for the students and for me as the teacher. It has made me very sad due to the fact that I am a teacher who enjoys helping my students and sitting next to them and interacting with them.
• 2021-01-20

  Rules and Procedures

  We have had and still have many rules and procedures during the corona virus pandemic. I have very much disliked some and appreciated others. One procedure that I have appreciated being online was having a very easy structure and schedule and one that I have not liked was having too much freedom during classes. Sometimes in class I would be lazy and not paying attention while in person you can't be relaxed on your comfortable chair with a blanket. One rule that I have appreciated was full time class, some schools do not have a full school day with merely one or two hours of classes. One rule that I have disliked is being in class the full 80 minutes and I lose attention span within that time frame. These are the rules and procedures I have experienced during the corona virus pandemic.
• 2021-01-20

  Feelings about rules and procedures during COVID-19

  Masks: Masks aren't too bad (unless you wear them for a while), you just have to remember to wear them correctly but it is hard to communicate with them and Plexiglas between you. Social Distancing: It's easy to forget especially when you're with your friends and you want to talk to them. Temperature Check: It's very quick.
• 2021-01-20

  Covid-19 Rules and Procedures

  Some rules and procedures that I had to follow consistently was wearing a mask, being outside, and social distancing. This was hard for me because I kept forgetting to follow these rules. For example, one time I was hanging out with my friends and we were way too close to each other, but we did not know that. We continued talking until someone told us to social distance. We realized that we were not social distancing and we separated ourselves quickly. I do not like any of these rules because they are a lot for me and my fellow friends to always follow them. We sometimes forget or we are tired of wearing a mask constantly. Whenever I followed any of these rules, I felt tired, annoyed, disappointed, and a little sorrowful. Overall, I dislike all of these rules very much, but I know that they are necessary in order to ensure the maximum safety of myself and others.
• 2020-12-10

  covid 19

  I heard about a virus out break in China from the news and I heard it was speeding to different countries but it was 2 weeks later when I found out it was in our state. I heard it wasn't bad to kids so I wasn't worried. later that week my school announced that we were going to do virtual school. it wasn't that different after that the only thing was different was school I still went skating at the park in my community, surfing at the beach outside my house and went mountain biking in the Mountains behind my house. covid isn't that bad I just don't get so see my friends that don't live in my community.
• 2020-03-13

  The School Shutdown

  It was March 15, 2020, and everybody had been hearing about this crazy virus in China that was killing people. The first American had gotten it and brought it over. Everybody was scared. Back in February my schedule was normal. I'd wake up at 7:00 AM and get to school at 7:45 AM. I remember the morning on the 15th where we had been hearing about this virus getting serious and then when I came downstairs and my told me that the school had just sent an email that we had 2 more days of regular school and then we'd go online. They said that we would come back before the end of the year but I knew that wasn't going to happen.
• 
  2020-07-17

  "Every Parent Online"

  A meme the caption to which reads "Every parent right now" followed by three identical images of an SNL performer dressed as a middle aged women with large hair, looking horrified and/or disgusted. Under each image is a caption, they read "STARTING SCHOOL IN PERSON," "STARTING SCHOOL ONLINE," "HOMESCHOOLING" This is a reference to the inconstant ways in which boards are choosing to run schools in the fall, all of which have different opponents. Many boards have changed their plans several times over the summer as the number of cases in their areas have changed and they have received feedback from parents, teachers, and health professionals.
• 
  2020-06-12

  Abandoned Student Belongings

  When the Princeton Joint Unified School District campuses unexpectedly closed on March 17, 2020, students were unable to collect personal belongings left in lockers and desks. As a school employee, I was tasked with collecting these items, placing them in plastic bags, and making them available for pick up. From the well-kept lockers of eager freshmen to the trash-filled desks of fifth graders, removing student belongings felt like an invasion of privacy, looting personal spaces thought to be their own. These belonging bags contain much more than physical items, however. They contain the last sense of normalcy for these students, the final laughs shared before an extended summer vacation, and the unfounded security in knowing that tomorrow will be just another school day.
• 
  2020-05-29

  Princeton High School Drive-In Graduation

  The fourteen graduates of Princeton High School’s Class of 2020 sit six feet apart as supporters watch the graduation ceremony from the confines of their cars. After months of coordinating distance learning efforts and planning for graduation amid ever-changing guidelines, there was an incredible sigh of relief knowing that this challenging school year was over. Although staff members and graduates alike were celebrating the end of a difficult journey, there is no denying the uncertainty as to what lays ahead. Graduates are entering adulthood at a time when the economic outlook is bleak, the college experience is altered, and the threat of illness is troublesome. Certainly, the academic response to COVID-19 will redefine education, proving just how irreplaceable physical classrooms and in-person interactions are to our students.
• 
  04/23/2020

  Local elementary school offers parade of teachers

  Since schools have been out since mid-March, the local elementary school in Cave Creek invited families to drive by the school so they could wave to their teachers. This is the digital flier they sent to families to invite them to the "Twilight Tunes Parade".