“Can you guess how I’m feeling?” my daughter’s kindergarten teacher says to the 25 little faces during her morning calendar talks in Google Meet.
Allie sits with perfect posture, shoots her hand up to the sky. “Happy,” she says when Ms. G calls on her to unmute her microphone.
“I am happy!” the teacher replies. Her tone reveals none of the anxiety and stress I know she must be feeling.
New York City schools have been open for hybrid learning since September, and teachers are facing lack of staffing, rising covid-19 numbers, unhappy parents and bursting class sizes. There has never been a more stressful time to be in this profession — and as a former teacher of almost 15 years, I can attest that even pre-covid-19, teaching in New York City was beyond challenging. But every morning, my daughter’s kindergarten teacher’s sweet voice rings through our computer speakers: “Good morning, friends!”
