Returning to school after the winter holidays usually brings renewed energy to teachers and students, as well as relief for parents of school-age children. This new term, however, brings with it continued challenges, as many area schools remain closed or operate on hybrid models.
“We didn’t travel last summer like we usually do, but we minded the garden more,” said Amanda Locke, 45, a seventh-grade math and science teacher at Greenfield’s Four Rivers Charter School.
Over the past year, Locke and her wife, Robin Clifford, a social studies and English teacher at Amherst Middle School, have had to adapt their small Greenfield home to the requirements of remote teaching work while simultaneously overseeing the online academic activities of their two children.
“Our daughter and our son are 11 months apart. They’re both 9 right now, but not for long,” Locke said. “To be honest, it’s bonkers.”
Amid the challenges, “We’ve found a rhythm,” Clifford said, describing how she transformed their bedroom into her office, creating a standing desk by piling boxes on the bed. Their computer modem is located in the middle of the house; cords snake down hallways. Clifford feels like she teaches “from a cockpit, using multiple screens.”
Their son’s home desk is set up on the hearth, and they’ve thrown a sheet over a nearby bookshelf to limit distractions during online learning. At times, Locke teaches remotely from her school’s building and can bring her daughter along to free up space — and bandwidth — at home.
“It’s hard to maintain home/work boundaries,” Locke acknowledged. “Robin and I whip together teaching materials when the kids are in the bathtub or asleep. Most planning occurs between 9 p.m. and midnight.”
Zachary Podhorzer, 33, a first-year teacher at Four Rivers, also worries about his students’ well-being and the challenges that come with at-home learning. “At first, remote learning seemed helpful for students with social anxiety. But we’ve been doing this for so long, I think the benefits have worn off,” he said.
“(My partner and I) are home almost all the time. I’ve had to rearrange things, buy a new chair for my back, and adjust my schedule,” Podhorzer said. “I don’t have children, but many of my colleagues struggle to find consistent child care, which affects when they can work. The line between personal and professional has grown even blurrier. Working from home does provide some flexibility, but often comes at a cost.”
Aware of society’s many inequities, Podhorzer noted, “Remote learning is yet another thread in the realm of intersectionality. Students who are in marginalized and oppressed social groups experience the negative effects of remote learning exponentially more. The exacerbated inequities truly scare me.”
He worries about teachers elsewhere who might not have home-life circumstances that make remote work possible.
“Some simply cannot make (remote teaching) work and have had to quit or take leaves of absence which, of course, disproportionately affects women. It also hurts to know that many people think we should teach in person and put our lives at risk without hazard pay or recognition,” he said.
Alexis Major Jameson, 42, and her husband, Neal Jameson, 45, live in Haydenville, where they homeschool two young children, Oli and Lao, 8 and 4. Alexis is a yoga teacher and Neal is a home improvement contractor.
When COVID restrictions hit, parents of schooled kids reached out to Alexis for advice. “They asked for resources, ideas, survival strategies. I suggested that they not put too much pressure on themselves or their families. Honestly, sometimes the best thing you can do is to make sure everyone gets three meals a day at basically regular intervals.”
She feels her vocation helps her reduce anxiety in a stressful time. “It’s important for adults to keep our nervous systems balanced while also protecting our kids. For us, it means not listening to the news when the kids are awake. We also try to make sure we (adults) get a good hour or two together after the kids go to bed.”
Her family enjoys moments of “time beyond time. I mean, if this pandemic is going to utterly change our lives, why not learn to adjust? It’s not always easy. No life or schooling situation is 100% perfect. But we can be flexible and grow stronger, more present.”
Longtime homeschooler Melissa Belmonte, 43, echoed the sentiment. “We adapt,” she said. While she teaches Smith College Spanish language classes online from her bedroom, her husband, Chris Belmonte, 42, drives to Northampton where he works as a regional radio personality.
The Belmontes’ three children — Atticus, 16; Enzo, 13; and Pax, 7 — spend more time on screens than before the pandemic, but the family makes sure to spend time outdoors, too.
Melissa brings in another element: “The pandemic has brought more intensity to everything, like political situations. After George Floyd was murdered, and with more attention to the work of Black Lives Matter, oh my gosh. It just seemed like everything was intense, all the time.”
She worries for her students, most of whom are in the 18-21 age group. “I’m witnessing huge psychological struggles. I’d definitely noticed increased levels of depression since 2016, but wow, the pandemic has magnified that exponentially.”
While working from home, educators are banding together digitally, “for example, through a Facebook group called ‘Pandemic Pedagogy,’ but everyone is weary. We need to stick together.”
As local families, teachers and kids try to make it through this time, common themes emerge, including getting outdoors, being kind to each other, and having fun.
Perhaps the greatest words of wisdom came from 7-year-old Pax, who seemed unfazed. “I love staying home when it snows,” he said. “Do you know we got 19 inches last time it really snowed? It was so great.” He described the forts he and his friend, Max, dug out of snowbanks, and a snowball fight when the two of them teamed up against older brother Enzo.
“We won,” Pax said, clearly proud of his triumph. “I love the snow. It’s so fun to be outside.”
Elsewhere in the region, sisters Melissa Corliss DeLorenzo and Rebecca Beck feel lucky to live in a basically peaceful community with opportunities to be outdoors. “Our families have formed a bubble,” DeLorenzo, 49, explained. “My kids are Noah, 15, and our twins, Ella and Lily, 13.” Her husband, Jim, rounds out their family of five.
Rebecca Beck, 47, and her husband, Brian Beck, 50, also have three children. Their eldest daughter, Maeve, 19, went to school through fifth grade and then home-schooled, eventually earning her high school equivalency diploma. Maeve is currently enrolled at a small circus school in Maine. Sons Josiah, 17, and Kessik, 14, live at home.
Over the years, the Becks have done both regular schooling and home-schooling. Rebecca is a longtime home-birth midwife; Brian is a school administrator.
In contrast, the DeLorenzos have home-schooled exclusively. “We’re essentially un-schoolers,” DeLorenzo said. A writer by trade, she said, “We read a ton, including reading historical fiction aloud, and we use the library a lot. Our choices are based on the kids’ interests and whatever seems to be working.”
In some ways, being home-schoolers gave the DeLorenzos an advantage when COVID-19 restrictions were put in place.
“I imagine it’s anxiety-producing for parents who worry if their kids will fall behind. I don’t worry about my kids falling behind academically. We’re pretty relaxed. My kids are learning, they’re fairly focused, we’re doing OK.”
Rebecca Beck noted that for her son, who’s enrolled in a local high school, “Josiah always regarded home as a refuge. But online learning has tainted the concept of home.” She added, “He misses the personal contact of being in school. And without requirements to keep grades up in order to participate in team sports … well, let’s just say that’s had quite an impact.”
Both Beck parents have busy work lives. “Brian has loads of Zoom meetings, really just endless, and my practice spiked along with the pandemic as people explored options for giving birth outside of hospitals.”
The family learned to “let some things go,” Rebecca said, “like not worrying about being super neat. It’s more important to truly be together when we can.”
Eveline MacDougall is a local author, outdoor enthusiast and mom. She welcomes feedback at eveline@amandlachorus.org.