First Year Teacher During the 2020 COVID Pandemic

06/24/2022

As I was a college student working as a substitute (and then my final internship) I had ALWAYS heard from fellow teachers, colleagues, and mentors that the first year of teaching would be the most challenging. Why? Well, simply because college degrees can equip us with the knowledge of being an educator BUT they do not prepare us for:

• behaviors

• lack of support

• IEP/504 meetings

• data chats

• RTI documentation

The list is longer. In reality, teachers learn most about the actual requirements and duties (except for the facilitation of learning and lesson planning) until they are in action.

So because of all the advice, I already anticipated feeling overwhelmed and lost during my first year. What I DID NOT anticipate was having to start when the world was going through a pondemic...

Let me explain the full pandemic story:

I graduated with my Bachelor's degree in December 2019 and was supposed to walk across the stage during April 2020. The first week of March 2020, I recieved an email from my university that all college graduations had been postponed until further notice due to the COVID pandemic. It crushed my heart... I had dreamed about walking across a stage to receive my Bachelors. But, instead in May 2020 they hosted a virtual graduation. That was only the beginning.

I began applying for positions in April 2020 to begin my first year during the 2020-2021. (Hey, COVID should be gone by August, right?) Well, I landed interviews and instead of going in person... I had Zoom interviews. (Cue interviewing in casual blouse and PJ pants on) It felt like all I had been mentally preparing for was far from what I was actually experiencing. In May 2020, I landed a 4th grade postion. YAY!

That whole summer, everyone in Florida was watching all the presedential addresses. I couldn't believe the reality of the world. From curfews being implemented, to Walamrt no longer being 24 hours, parks being locked and sealed off, social distancing orders, and loss of income. By the time August came around I was faced with the sad truth: the COVID pandemic was in FULL effect and I had to figure out being a first year, inexperienced teacher ON TOP of this new uncertainty of education.

I had my first planning day VIRTUALLY and got to meet my staff via Zoom. It all felt so inpersonal and awkward. (But at least I felt safe, especially having a 6 month baby at home) It only lasted a week when the district I lived in decided we would have only ONE week of virtual learning and then parents will have the choice of face-to-face or e-Learning. Once the school baord ruled so, we had to go into the classrooms (but we could NOT congregate) so I knew NOBODY and had to keep to my room. I couldn't even have my husband and daughters come visit or help me set up. I was so devastated.

The year started with a virtual parent conference (phone or Zoom) and 1 week of e-Learning, then I was met with 20 students... that I had to try and "socially distance" their desks. (Remember 6 ft? Ok, yeah, not possible in a classroom) Students would be out for 10+ days because they had either been exposed or had COVID. Teachers had to constantly miss and NO SUBS picked up positions because it was so risky. This led to our resources teachers having to cover classe, which meant LESS opportunity for new teacher support/mentorship from the resource teachers.

I struggled that year. I felt very alone since I was new but also since faculty meetings were held via Zoom and teachers all remained social distanced from each other. Imagine, the list that I previously stated, and then literally not having the availability to meet with my instrutional coaches or have them model a lesson. I couldn't even sit the students in groups to implement any collaborative learning methods that I looked forward to so much. The worries ofadministering monthly assessments and quarterly assessing the students was there AS WELL AS the standardized state test.

My 4th graders were facing these standardized assessments for the first time and they were SO stressed and worried about it since the previous year was cut short for them due to COVID. It made it even more challening to teach because so many benchmarks were NOT met the previous school year due to COVID ending the year short. All across America I would read about the learning gaps that were being created because of the loss of learning from March 2020-May 2020 coupled with the summer learning loss. As a first year teacher, with very minimal support, I wanted to intervene but I had to be weary of small group and also struggled to find the right resources.

Yet despite all the regular first year teacher struggles AND the COVID pandemic struggles... I successfully completed my first year teaching and I left happily, with new intentions to start the following school year August 2022-May 2023. As I enter Year 3, my first year truly helped me to reflect and I was able to make SO MUCH growth as I reflect on the overwhelming exprience and unknowigness... and with that, I moved onto Year 2!

~a.h.~