Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1337485
are able to juggle teaching and caring for their own children in a safe manner. But even for those working remotely, teaching and taking care of young children can be overwhelming, and some are either quitting or taking an unpaid leave of absence. Tracy Maniscalco, a chemistry teacher at Montgomery High School in Santa Rosa, was teaching remotely from home, caring for her 5-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son, and burning the candle at both ends. "I would Zoom with my own students when my children were napping, and do lesson planning after my kids went to bed. I was up until 2 or 3 every morning. It was not sustainable. I was trying to do it all — but after a while I just couldn't. One time my son started crying in the middle of my Zoom class because he had a rock stuck up his nose. My high school students thought it was hysterical, but it was stressful." S h e f o u n d su p p o r t f r o m t h e S a n t a R o s a Teachers Association, which negotiated a mem- orandum of understanding allowing teachers to go on unpaid leave during the pandemic. She had initially resigned to care for children and coordinate their distance learning. But after the MOU was negotiated, the district rescinded her resignation and allowed her and others to take a year's personal leave. "Our union fought for us," she says. She plans on resuming teaching next August, and hopes it is safe for her children's school to reopen by then. She and her husband, who works in the medical field, decided together that due to her teaching experience, she was the logical choice when it came to who would stay home. "I love my students, but I have to prioritize my family and my mental health." Stacey Strong Ortega, a member of the Orange Unified Educa- tion Association who has taught first grade for 21 years at Nohl Canyon Elementary School in Anaheim Hills, is also on leave. Strong Ortega has three children — twin girls in first grade and a son in fourth grade. eir school in Westminster resumed in-person learning two days a week, for a few hours each day, combined with distance learning. But her son has asthma, which puts him at risk for COVID complications, so all her children are learning remotely. All was going well when she was teaching from home. Her family created a routine and were, in fact, "rocking it," says Strong Ortega, who shares parenting duties with her husband. Then her district announced in-person learning would resume at the end of September, and teachers had to come back. "Teachers were understandably hesitant," she says. "A lot of teachers had children at home and were stuck between choosing their family over their job and financial security. Also, a lot of class- rooms, especially the school where I was at, have no windows. e buildings are '70s style, with pods that all share the same air. It was scary." Teachers feared for their safety but were told that since their contract did not have language allowing teachers to work from home during a pandemic, they must return. Strong Ortega would have preferred to continue working at home. But her dis- trict, unlike surrounding districts, did not offer educators that choice. So, she went on leave. "Women carry the children during pregnancy — and also during the pandemic." —Katina Rondeau, Sweetwater Education Association Single mother Katina Rondeau took a pay cut and is working fewer hours so she can work from home while her 9-year-old son, pictured, attends school from home. 34 cta.org Feature Stacey Strong Ortega