Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1360078
Riding horses helps Mary Wiegmann relieve some of her stress as she juggles teaching and leadership during the pandemic. week longer during the pandemic, reports EdSource. "Most nights I am working until my eyes don't func- tion ," says Solorio, a member of the Travis Unified Teachers Association. "Back in December I was having a hard time breathing. I thought I had COVID. I went to the doctor and found instead I was having a panic attack." Working in survival mode Acosta, a member of the Teachers Association of West Covina, says she is sometimes online from 7 in the morning until 5 at night, plus she is supervising her 15-year-old who is home doing online school. "It's a roller coaster of emotions. I'm questioning my every move. Nobody has written a handbook on this, and I haven't taken courses on how to teach remotely. I'm trying to engage kids on the computer. And now we're being told there will be standardized testing." She nally decided to make time for herself and go for walks in the morning before she begins teaching from home. At midday she makes a point of going outside for a few minutes of sunshine. "I have learned to worry about only the things I can control," she says. "I tell my students that we are always faced with adversity, and how we react to that adversity builds character." Teachers say that as the pandemic continues, students are less engaged in learning, which makes them feel anx- ious and worried. "There was a big push in the beginning of the year for students to have their cameras and microphones on," says Perry Shields, a drama and lm appreciation teacher at Oscar de la Hoya Ánimo Charter High School in Los Angeles. "But there's so much activity going on at home with noise and parents and siblings walking around, it's not possible. Students, understandably, didn't want to broadcast their homelife. But it's very dif- cult for me to gauge their understanding." Shields tends to be his own worst critic and focus on what he is doing wrong. Lately, the Asociación de MaestrosUnidos member reminds himself that he's doing the best he can under extremely challenging circumstances. And he's given up junk food and is eating healthier to stay more positive. As challenges have increased for families struggling with income loss, illness and emotional problems, some teachers have felt overwhelmed. "It's been hard for me to absorb what these families are going through in this crisis," says Laura García López, a speech and language therapist for the preschool program at Love Elementary in Alameda. "My fami- lies are having very hard times, and I've been absorbing some of their sadness. I have learned that I don't always have to oer them a solution. Sometimes you have to just be a really good listener. I tell them that we will get through this together." Adrienne Solorio "In times of stress, I list all the things that went wrong. Next, I list all the things I'm thankful for. I usually remember far more wonderful things than negative." —Mary Wiegmann, Romoland Teachers Association president 29 A P R I L / M AY 2 0 21