What It’s Like to Be a Teacher During the Pandemic
For Kara Stoltenberg, a 30-year-old language-arts teacher in Norman, Okla., the first day of school is always a “really magical” time. “It’s just so fun seeing the kids excited to be around their friends and to be back together as a community,” she says. But this year, Stoltenberg’s school has gone virtual, and she’s teaching to an empty classroom.
As summer winds down and the school year approaches, some students are heading back to classrooms and others are staying home to learn virtually. My colleague Katie Reilly wondered what teachers thought of this new arrangement. She asked nine of the educators featured in her 2018 cover story about getting by financially as a teacher in America.
As bad as things were before, they’re much worse now for many teachers. “It’s clear that this school year is unlike any other, and teachers are facing a lot of new challenges as a result,” says Reilly. “Some talked about how tough it will be to follow safety guidelines, keeping six feet apart and not sharing materials in classrooms that are usually collaborative.”
While some are retiring rather than going back to school, none of the teachers Reilly interviewed had considered quitting—even those forced to resume in-person instruction. “They’re playing Russian roulette with the most experienced educators,” Jacob Fertig, a 33-year-old art teacher in Belle, W.Va., told Reilly. His school will begin in-person learning for some students in September, and though Fertig doesn’t agree with the decision, he’s staying. “I just had a conversation with a group of teachers, and it’s so bad that I know a couple of them are leaving. They’re done.”
Not that virtual learning is easy. Shontèe Branton, a 36-year-old first-grade teacher in Wilmer, Texas, began teaching remotely in the spring, and classes will remain virtual when school starts on Sept. 8 until at least Oct. 6. She’s had to drive to her students’ homes to drop off paper packets when kids’ caregivers didn’t know how to use the technology. “Other teachers worried about how they would get to know new students over a computer for the first time,” Reilly says.
The pandemic compounds an already dire situation facing so many teachers in the U.S. “Teacher shortages were an issue long before this year,” Reilly says, and low pay, inadequate support and little respect are all reasons why. “Since they’ve had to spend their own money on school supplies for years, many teachers are now wondering if they are also going to have to spend their own money to buy masks, hand sanitizer and cleaning supplies to keep their classrooms safe this year.”
But perhaps the biggest loss this year is what drew teachers to the profession in the first place: “engaging with kids in person, creating a fun and collaborative classroom, giving them a high five as they enter each morning,” Reilly says. “Many teachers are disappointed to be missing out on that this year.”
Nearly 23.9 million people around the world had been sickened by COVID-19 as of 1 a.m. eastern time today, and more than 819,000 people have died.
On Aug. 25, there were nearly 242,000 new cases and 6,392 new deaths confirmed globally. Here's how the world as a whole is currently trending:
Here is every country with over 300,000 confirmed cases to date:
Kenyans have been under a nationwide curfew since March, and will remain so for at least another month. In an address today, Kenya’s president, Uhuru Kenyatta, announced the extension of the country’s nightly 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. curfew by another 30 days, Reuters reports . Bars and nightclubs will remain closed. While daily infection numbers in Kenya have eased somewhat in Nairobi and other cities, “the new frontier of this invisible enemy is increasingly shifting to the counties and to our rural areas,” he said. Kenya has reported more than 33,000 cases of the coronavirus and 564 deaths so far.
For six months, Pope Francis has broadcasted his weekly address to the public virtually. But the Vatican announced today that he will restart in-person addresses in September. The weekly event, held outdoors in the courtyard of the Pope’s residence, “is open to anyone who wishes.”
The World Economic Forum (WEF) announced today that its annual meeting, held every winter in Davos, Switzerland, has been rescheduled to next summer. “The decision was not taken easily, since the need for global leaders to come together to design a common recovery path and shape the ‘Great Reset’ in the post-COVID-19 era is so urgent,” said a representative in a statement to the media. “However, the advice from experts is that we cannot do so safely in January.” During that month, WEF will instead host a virtual gathering of leaders to “share their views on the state of the world in 2021.”
The Situation in the U.S.
The U.S. had recorded more than 5.7 million coronavirus cases as of 1 a.m. eastern time today. More than 178,000 have died. Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
On Aug. 25, there were nearly 38,000 new cases and 1,234 new deaths confirmed in the U.S. Here's how the country as a whole is currently trending:
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) quietly changed its COVID-19 testing guidelines this week. Before, the agency encouraged everyone who had close contact with a COVID-positive person to get tested. Now, the agency’s website says, “If you have been in close contact (within 6 feet) of a person with a COVID-19 infection for at least 15 minutes but do not have symptoms, you do not necessarily need a test unless you are a vulnerable individual or your health care provider or State or local public health officials recommend you take one.”
Some experts are suspicious of the update. "I'm concerned that these recommendations suggest someone who has had substantial exposure to a person with COVID-19 now doesn't need to get tested," Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency doctor and public health professor at George Washington University, told CNN. "This is key to contact tracing, especially given that up to 50% of all transmission is due to people who do not have symptoms. One wonders why these guidelines were changed—is it to justify continued deficit of testing?"
Today, Moderna announced that its coronavirus vaccine is well tolerated and produced a promising immunity response in a group of 20 adults ages 56 and older, CNBC reports. The results of this small trial have not been published in a peer-reviewed journal—so must be considered preliminary and interpreted with caution—but the pharmaceutical company said that the volunteers generated more antibodies—the proteins the body produces to fight off infections—than people who had recovered from COVID-19.
New York City’s average daily case numbers have been relatively low since June, but city officials are concerned about people bringing in the infection from across state lines. Travelers coming from 31 states—determined, in part, by whether a state has at least a 10% positive test rate over a weeklong average—are required to quarantine for two weeks upon arrival to New York state. “Right now, we think about 20% of the COVID-19 cases in this city are associated with people who have traveled,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio today in a press conference . As the number of travelers increases, New York County’s sheriff’s department is stopping thousands of cars, handing out masks and reminding people of the law.
All numbers unless otherwise specified are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of August 26, 1 a.m. eastern time. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
Why Coronavirus Strikes Men Harder Than Women
Men are far more likely to suffer the worst effects of COVID-19 than women. A study published today offers one potential reason why: men mount a weaker response against the virus than women, the New York Times reports. The new research suggests that men may especially need to rely on vaccines for protection. Read more here.
Workers Can’t Catch a Break This Year. Employers Want to Change That
Because nobody wants to waste their vacation days sipping a piña colada through a mask, fewer people are taking vacation this year. Some companies are trying to figure out what to do as the balance of unused paid time off grows: some are allowing employees to roll over days until next year, while others are forcing employees to take time off, the Wall Street Journal reports. Read more here.
How Some Summer Camps Kept Kids Safe
More than 80% of overnight camps in the U.S. were closed this summer. But those that did open were able to do so safely when they took proper precautions. The CDC released a report today explaining how four camps in Maine used quarantines, testing, masks, physical distancing and a focus on outdoor programs to protect campers and staff. Read more here.
“You’re Made to Feel Like You’re Crazy.” Why Long-Haulers Face an Uphill Battle
COVID-19 patients with symptoms that linger after the initial infection—nicknamed "long-haulers"—have difficult recoveries, both physically and mentally. Because of spotty and sometimes inaccurate testing, many of them can't even prove they had the disease in the first place, STAT reports. That can lead health care providers to dismiss or disbelieve patients, who must then become their own advocates. Read more here.
Thanks for reading. We hope you find the Coronavirus Brief newsletter to be a helpful tool to navigate this very complex situation, and welcome feedback at coronavirus.brief@time.com.
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Today's newsletter was written by Mandy Oaklander and edited by Elijah Wolfson.
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