Teacher Tiredness in the Age of Covid

It’s Saturday afternoon at Nola Nerd Headquarters as I type this. I’ve already had one nap today and would love a second one (spoiler alert: I did). Teacher tiredness in the age of covid is a real thing.

Before I start, I want people to know that we are thankful for our jobs and love teaching. I’ve had one of my best years in a long time. I’ve really had to examine my lessons and be reflective about their effectiveness. Plus, our district and school has done an amazing job in an impossible situation.

And you know what? So have we.

Yet, neither one of us has been this exhausted since our first year of teaching or maybe our years of teaching and doing graduate school. Our school is hybrid with an option for eLearning. Of those that opted to stay, they are split into two. They alternate days coming to school and staying home to do their lessons.

This means we have to plan two lessons a day: one for in-person, one for virtual.

I’m not going to lie – it’s hard. But I also feel as if I have done some of my best lessons. Smaller classes have allowed for more in-depth and personalized learning.

Having two groups also breaks up the amount of grading to do each day. We both teach subjects no one else teaches at our school. So even with kids opting out, we are still near capacity for Covid. Having half one day and half the next, though, has made it easier to manage and stay on top of grading.

It does have some challenges. Our students are great about wearing masks, but masks seem to act as a muzzle for the students. It is harder in some classes to get a class discussion. Good teaching should be student-centered, and this provides a mental barrier for the students that is difficult to overcome.

Planning also takes its toll. Remembering what day it is itself a task (do I get group a or group b). Posting the assignments for the virtual days can be another struggle. I’ve had the work ready many times, but I either forgot to schedule it or thought I did prepare it, and it never goes up. It’s one of those times where normally it would be a problem because I have the plans already made. But this is the first year we teach this way.

Also, you aren’t just worried about the kids in front of you. You worry about the kids doing the at-home learning. I check my email way more often for student emails. Yet, my students know that I won’t check after 4. I have to have boundaries and time for my own kid.

We are on a 4×4, so this has gotten easier in the spring semester. We now have a blueprint of what to do and what not to do in this kind of schedule.

We are incredibly fortunate that our school district takes Covid-19 seriously and has had a plan to deal with the issues that arise. I’m way more worried about my interactions at stores than I am at school. I am amazed that I feel that way due to the time I spend at school compared to the time I spend getting groceries. Our district has taken an enormous task and has done as well as they could with the situation.

Also, not having named storms in the spring is a godsend. I can’t remember a fall with so many school closures (which, in every case, was the right call). That added to stress due to making up days and planning.

Now, I’m going to miss Mardi Gras this year (and I’ll write a post about that topic soon). However, it will be nice to sleep away some of this teacher tiredness in the age of covid.