Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1234752
AS NORMAL AS POSSIBLE J E S S I C A P A G A N never got to say goodbye. After her students went home on a Friday night, staff received an email that nobody would be reporting to school on Monday. "It was very abrupt. It's very hard to know there are no time- lines as to when we'll be back in the classroom or whether I will be able to finish out the school year with my students." She sends her first graders at Bridgeway Island Elementary School daily recordings of herself reading stories to them on ClassTag, an app that can reach parents on any device. "I'm trying to keep an upbeat demeanor so they don't see I'm scared or nervous," says Pagan, a member of West Sacramento Teachers Association. "I am giving them reminders to read daily, help around the house, and go outside and play on sunny days. I'm sending hopeful messages to keep things as normal as possible, while knowing that this situation is com- pletely abnormal." When she heard the governor say school would likely not resume until fall, it felt like a "punch to the gut." She lives alone and is managing her stress and isolation by walking, cooking and talking with friends. She is on her union's executive board and working with her district on how students can be given Chromebooks and internet access for the distance learn- ing that will be taking place. ESP ON THE FRONT LINES C E R T I F I C A T E D S T A F F at Lugonia Elementary School in Redlands were on spring break when they learned school may not reopen for a long time — possibly until fall. Richard Stead, the lead custodian, says he and his cleaning crew were asked to return and disin- fect the entire campus. "We are definitely on the front line in the fight against the coronavirus," says Stead, a member of the Redlands Education Support Professionals Association. "Custodians are very important to the functioning and safety of our schools." Wearing masks, knee-high rubber boots and gloves, Stead and his crew got busy with Hudson sprayers filled with Pioneer Super 60 disinfectant. "We were asked to walk into every room and spray down every desk, chair, sink, door frame, door handle, drinking fountain, handrail in hallways, and every common area where people congregate. We sanitized all of the restrooms and even the gates and exterior gates and locks that peo- ple had touched." Now the district can serve meals to students who rely on the school's free breakfast and lunch program to meet their nutritional needs. Cafeteria workers pre- pare meals that can be dispensed through car windows or walk-up. And when food is being pre- pared, there's usually a mess, so custodians will provide cleanup as needed. Stead is coping well. He says CTA's Face- book page about the coronavirus is helping. "What CTA is doing to keep constant com- munication with members through these difficult times with social media is awesome. It's so much easier to get through this when you feel connectivity and community rather than isolation." "I'm trying to keep an upbeat demeanor so they don't see I'm scared or nervous. I'm sending hopeful messages to keep things as normal as possible, while knowing that this situation is completely abnormal." —Jessica Pagan, West Sacramento Teachers Association 16 cta.org Richard Stead Jessica Pagan special report