Sarah. The middle-school Spanish teacher.

Sarah has not been in her classroom for a month. 

The shelter-in-place order in Illinois has kept her away from the middle school where she teaches Spanish to more than 130 students. 

She misses her desk, her bulletin board and eating lunch with her coworkers. But most of all, she misses her students. And, she misses being silly with them in person. 

“I do miss being in the classroom,” Sarah said. “I am an interactive teacher. I miss being a nut with my students. I miss being able to be sassy and sarcastic and joke around with my kids. I just feel like I fit in there."

MISSING THOSE ‘LIGHTBULB MOMENTS’
Since mid-March, Sarah has been teaching classes to her students online, preparing digital lessons and interactive activities her students can do at home. She often connects with her students through Zoom — a video conferencing service that had 199 million more users per day in March compared to December. 

Sarah said the new, remote-only learning does feel…well, remote at times. Yes, she is still leading lessons for her students. The students can still engage and learn, too. They can “raise their hands” by clicking a button on their screens in the digital classroom created thanks to technology. But she still misses the in-person connections with her students — good and bad. 

“There are days when I just want to go home and I am so mad,” Sarah said, reflecting on some of her toughest days as a teacher. “But there are also those classes when the kids are good and funny and they get that ‘lightbulb moment.’ I miss them putting their hands up when they ‘get it.’ You miss those little interactions.” 

A NEW KIND OF HOME SCHOOL
During “normal times,” Sarah taught six, 42-minute Spanish classes every school day. Shelter-at-home school looks a lot different. Her students now have about 30 minutes of Spanish lessons two times a week. For the remainder of the school year, Sarah was told to prepare one to five “e-learning assessments” for her students to complete, such as quizzes or practice exercises — something that keeps the students engaged and gives Sarah a way to gauge their progression. 

While the curriculum has certainly been pared down, the technology and tools her school has in place do provide an opportunity for the students to continue to learn. That’s if, as Sarah said, “The students follow directions and do what they are supposed to.” 

Not all students are, however. And that is creating a new challenge for Sarah and her fellow teachers. Sarah records her lessons in case a student does miss it and needs to download it at a later time. Sarah can keep track of if and when a student has completed a lesson and submitted their assignments. As of last week, roughly a dozen of Sarah's more than 130 students had not participated in e-learning exercises since the middle school temporarily closed in March. 

MAINTAINING A SCHEDULE 
While Sarah’s teaching days look different than normal, she still tries to keep a routine. 

During the weekday, she wakes up at 7 a.m. and begins teaching at 10 a.m. She pauses for a lunch hour and ends the “school day” at 3 p.m.

“I am a very schedule-oriented person,” she said. “So for me, it is hard that I don't necessarily have to control.”

Sarah is also using any extra time she has to prepare future lessons for the remainder of the school year. Sarah is working toward her graduate degree, too, and has already started writing the final paper for a Spanish film class she is in this semester, which is not due until the end of April. She is a planner. And a bit of a perfectionist. She is not, by any means, a procrastinator. 

“If I don't start now, I will be in a bad way,” she said. 

I understand exactly what Sarah means when she says that. Like Sarah — my cousin — I would rather be prepared than put off doing something. As a former reporter, I thrive off deadlines and structure. I always try to think two steps ahead, even if, sometimes, it makes me stumble.

I also understand that this mandated quarantine can be stressful. When you are used to staying busy and on-the-go, down time can seem foreign. Sarah’s husband Michael has started working the 3 p.m. - 11 p.m. shift at his job as his workplace accommodates social distancing guidelines. This leaves Sarah with more alone time than she likes. 

“I think I am just sad,” she admits. “I don’t mind being home alone — I like it sometimes. It is just weird. I have my day of teaching, and by the time I am done, Michael is gone.” 

She tries to fill her time with activities to take her mind off the isolation and feeling lonely. She turns to Netflix, puzzles and coloring books. She also listens to podcasts and audiobooks, and is trying her hand at crocheting. “ I am not good at it,” she said, laughing.

RETURNING TO THE CLASSROOM, SOMEDAY
Sarah knows she is good at teaching, though. Parents tell her so. They say their children say Sarah has made learning Spanish “fun.” She loves that joy she can bring to her students. If it takes her being silly, singing songs or playing games to keep the students engaged, Sarah is more than happy to oblige. 

“I appreciate the interaction I get with students and the feeling I am impacting their lives,” she said.

Being away from her students during this pandemic will make Sarah cherish those in-person connections even more when she returns to her classroom, whenever that may be.

“If anything, it will make me more appreciative of the face-to-face time,” she said. 

LEARN MORE ABOUT SARAH…

WHAT IS YOUR INSPIRATION TO KEEP GOING?
“We all have to keep doing our best, because, eventually, it is going to go back to normal life. Our school counselors are also putting up prompts on a shared discussion board for the teachers. Knowing that everyone else out there is in the same boat, that helps. Yeah, this sucks, but eventually it will be over.”

WHAT ARE YOU GRATEFUL FOR AT THIS MOMENT?
“All the ways we can connect right now. Sometimes technology can be bothersome, annoying or overbearing. But right now, I am grateful for it. Oh, and Roofus, my dog.” 

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO WHEN THINGS “GET BACK TO NORMAL?”
“Finally getting a beer! I just want to go to a brewery and have the ability to go out and try new places.”