It's been a year unlike any other for teachers during the pandemic.
They've had to hold remote classes while teaching students in-person at the same time; they've had to step into school buildings with the threat of the virus, wearing masks and getting their students to wear masks; and they've had to navigate new lesson plans.
Jennifer Nickerson, a sixth-grade teacher at the Mattacheese Middle School in the Dennis-Yarmouth school district, and she took the time to chroncile what a day in the life of a teacher is this year.
Nickerson says that every day is a juggling act, and a whole different experience from a traditional school year. Classroom layouts look different than previous years. Instead of students roaming hallways from one classroom to the next, they are stationed in one room for the day. So teachers are moving from one classroom to another.
Nickerson says that also new this year are masks breaks, when students have a few moments to take off their masks. And then there's recess when students give each other six-feet.
Nickerson also says there are new struggles that come with teaching students remotely. A lot time is spent on technical issues, like getting computer cameras to work.
But she says there are funny moments that are unique to this year, like watching a gym teacher give an exercise lesson to a class remotely.
And while Nickerson says that while it's not the traditional school year, she and her fellow teachers are trying to make the best of the situation. And she says that requires patience. A lack of patience, she says, leads to a lot of frustration.
