Ashley Miller: teaching in a pandemic – Part Three

A playground is roped off to stop children from playing during the pandemic. This was before we knew Covid was largely airborne.

There is societal dissonance between knowing children need mental health support and the lack of access they actually have. “[Students] are trying to be more present and authentic, which is really positive but also really difficult. We’re giving young people so much more emotional responsibility and not making any space for it. We’re still giving them all the responsibilities with homework and with after school activities, and yet [not giving] them time to process any of this.”

Ashley Miller: teaching in a pandemic – Part Two

A playground is roped off to stop children from playing during the pandemic. This was before we knew Covid was largely airborne.

She discussed the absurdity of distancing when there were increased class sizes that were the result of the 2019 budget freeze and a growing school population. “The laughter when the policies came out about how kids are supposed to be two metres apart at school? Oh my Lord, like I mean, if you would have kept our class sizes capped?” 

Ashley Miller: Teaching in a Pandemic – Part One

A playground is roped off to stop children from playing during the pandemic. This was before we knew Covid was largely airborne.

“When the UCP started announcing their education policies, the open hostility and contempt for educators [was] rampant editorially, in the media, and on social media. That was a really challenging time for our profession. It was a snippet of what we’re now seeing with the anti-intellectualism and anti-science and that’s been persistent for the last 18 months.”

Nadine Riopel: online schooling

”I always remember that moment. That’s the moment that everyone went, ‘Oh well, I guess this is what we’re doing.’ Up until then, I really felt like we were all in it together and that most reasonable people were giving it their honest best, but at that point everyone took their cue from the government and went, ‘We’re not trying.’”

Karen Simonson: Opted To Send Her Children To School

Karen Simpson and family

She continued, “Elizabeth has the same teacher as in kindergarten, so I know her. I’ve had nothing but an email introduction from Sophia’s teacher. This is very different from in previous years.” Simonson explained, “Last year, I would pick the girls up and we talked to the teachers every day. Now there is a designated area outside for kindergarten and Sophia wanders over to the pickup point as she’s out first.”