Q: How are you feeling? Do you feel stressed or anxious about what is happening right now?

A: “It definitely can be stressful or overwhelming at times, but I do my best to focus on the things I can control, like what I am doing with my kids or what activities we’re doing as a family. I find when I focus on my family I feel better about everything happening outside of my home.”

Q: Have you developed any new hobbies since we are home all day? What do you do in your free time?

A: “Ha! As a parent, I don’t get a lot of free time. But when I do, I work on knitting projects or reading. Neither of these are new hobbies for me, but I’ve started knitting projects or books that I have been waiting a long time to get to.”

Q: How has teaching been without technology that is usually in your classroom?

A: “For me as an English teacher, I have been able to adjust without much trouble. Most of the resources I used in the classroom were also available on the internet.”

Q: How have you adjusted your teaching style?

A: “I think I have always been a pretty flexible teacher, but I definitely have adjusted my planning and teaching to think about the other distractions and circumstances that exist in our lives as a result of COVID-19. I try to give students ways to interact with my class at the level that they can at that moment.”

Q: What do you miss about Huron?

A: “That’s easy; the students. Quarantine takes away the best part of the job–getting to interact with kids every day.”

Q: What would you tell students that are feeling stressed about their workload?

A: “Keep a good perspective on the work at this point. We are in an unprecedented life situation and your mental and emotional (and physical!) health comes first.”

Q: Have you been giving out less or more work since we have been in quarantine?

A: “I have been giving less work, but making sure to utilize skills we’ve learned throughout the year and apply them to this new way of learning.”

Q: How do you think the school district can improve distance learning?

A: “I think investigating new tools and looking at ways to improve what we currently have in place would be helpful long term.”

Q: Do you think the school district has handled this situation well?

A: “As a parent and a staff member, I appreciated the swift action taken to keep us all safe and at home.”

Q: Do you think students are going to be prepared for classes next year?

A: “We did have a significant portion of the year together before we moved to distance learning so I do feel confident that there is a solid base of knowledge to bring to the next year.”

Q: What has specifically changed for the English department the most?
A: “Our department meetings now have guest appearances by pets and children! It’s fun.”