Education in the Time of Covid

By Christine Ellis

The first day of school is always an exciting time. Kids are eager to see their classmates again, parents are snapping pictures of everyone in their new outfits, and teachers are making sure every last minute detail is ready to go. Everyone is filled with a little bit of anxious uncertainty and hope for what the school year holds. But things are a lot different and a little more nerve-wracking this year. I don’t know who is more nervous about the first day of school this year, the kids, the parents, or the teachers.

By the time you’re reading this, both public and private schools will have been back in session for a few weeks. Everything may be going smoothly or plans could have changed four different ways by now. With so much uncertainty surrounding this new school year, I wanted to sit down and check-in with some of the teachers and administrators in our church family, to find out what they’re feeling as they head back into the classroom.

I heard different perspectives, some from veteran teachers and those just starting out, some from teachers that are also parents deciding what is best for their own children, and some from administrators working to make sure all voices are heard and cared for. But they all have one thing in common: they all care about their students and doing the best to help them learn. As I talked with each of these educators, I noticed a theme centered on relationships.

“People go into education because of the relationships and because of how someone made them feel when they were a student,” says Amanda Tullos, who works as the District Community and Parent Liaison for the Starkville School District. That has been at the forefront of her mind since the beginning when schools had to close their doors and students learned over Zoom. Whether a parent has chosen a classroom setting, virtual learning, or a hybrid of the two for their child, our teachers are eager for them to know that they are very serious about providing the best learning experience for their students. The driving force for these teachers, especially right now, is the relationships they have with their students, with each other, and especially with God.

Most of these teachers will tell you that building a relationship with their students is vital to keeping them engaged and learning. While it is a daunting task, our educators are committed to finding new and fun ways to build those relationships while social distancing or teaching in a virtual classroom. They want to make sure the students in their classrooms receive their best efforts. April Dill, a teacher at Starkville High School and Millsaps Career & Technology Center, will be starting her 19th year in education. Her biggest concern is making sure every student, whether they’re in the classroom with her or online, receives the same learning experience.

This commitment can give parents the assurance that however they choose to send their child back to school, their teachers are working hard to make it engaging and educational. Chelsi Brasher is a 5th-grade math teacher at Overstreet, but as a parent herself, she and her husband had to decide what would be the best option for their oldest daughter. “Having to balance the mindset of a teacher and a mother reminds me that I’m going to have other people’s children coming into my classroom,” she says. This is even more motivation for her to create a space that will be safe and conducive to learning.

The educators I spoke with aren’t concerned with only meeting the educational and physical needs of their students. They see their place in the schools as their ministry, to care about these kids and show them the love of Christ. 

And this year, there will be a lot of opportunities to demonstrate the  fruit of the Spirit in front of their students and give grace to both parents and other teachers alike. Chelsi Brasher says that she is very aware a lot of parents are under pressure, particularly those that have no other option than to send their kids back to school because of work, and when there is high pressure, sometimes people react. But the same lessons she’s been teaching her daughter are ones she’s reminding herself of every day as well. “My father had a saying “God’s more concerned with our character than our comfort,” she says, “so, I’m trying to recognize my character and how I treat other people during all of this and show kindness even in situations I don’t love.”

“Everyone is going to have to learn to reach out and ask for help this year,” says Shellie Reynolds, a third-grade teacher at Henderson Ward Stewart. Shellie has only been in education for a handful of years now, but with everyone from first-year teachers to older administrators experiencing a new world of education, she is ready to help anyone and do her best for her students.

As we talked, Shellie was reminded of a lesson from “Find Your Marigold: The One Essential Rule for New Teachers” by Jennifer Gonzalez, an article she was required to read in college. The author advised new teachers to find the “marigold” in their new school; find the person who is going to help keep the negativity out, who won’t complain about all the new stuff they have to do, and is trying to be positive about the whole situation.

“Among companion plants, the marigold is one of the best: It protects a wide variety of plants from pests and harmful weeds. If you plant a marigold beside most any garden vegetable, that vegetable will grow big and strong and healthy, protected and encouraged by its marigold.”

Find Your Marigold: The One Essential Rule for New Teachers by Jennifer Gonzalez

In this new school year, with all of the new technology and limitations and plans that can change in an instant, educators are going to have to rely on each others’ strengths and help one another out, as April Dill pointed out. Some teachers, like Chelsi Brasher, have even taken on the additional task at the beginning of the school year to train other teachers on their virtual platform and create virtual lesson plans. Her goal is to start with a very good understanding of virtual teaching so she can best prepare the other teachers and alleviate some of the pressure for them.

Working together to provide the best learning experience for their students not only involves helping each other with training and classroom skills but for some, it also involves finding other Christ-followers to encourage and pray with. Amanda Tullos says that it has been a great encouragement in these difficult times to be able to work with people daily who can pray together and remind each other where their strength comes from.

Which brings us to the main thing that keeps these teachers going and gives them the strength to approach each new day at school: their relationship with God. “The uncertainty of this season has reminded me of my need to seek God daily for his new mercies and grace and direction, not just when things get shaky,” says Katie Greenwell, a 7th and 8th-grade teacher at Starkville Christian School. Her approach has been even more prayerful and God-focused, and helping her students to not just learn the subjects she is teaching them but to see and be awed by how God works in and with His creation is what gives purpose and joy to being an educator.

From the very beginning, Amanda Tullos really looked forward to Sunday morning youth bible studies over Zoom, because just being with the teenagers, even in this limited capacity, provided some sense of normalcy in the middle of all that isolation. But she also had a lot of time to sit and be still in prayer with God. “I learned that I don’t have all of the answers,” she says, “so I needed to identify ways to stay connected in fellowship with other Christians and to stay connected with God so I can keep things in the right perspective.” This has helped her in her struggle as an administrator through the summer leading up to the new school year when she felt like she was really busy getting everything done but still not knowing if she was doing enough or gaining any ground.

That is the same kind of struggle for Shellie Reynolds as well, who says her new motto is “It’s fine.” And that’s true, everything is going to be fine at the end of the day because God is sovereign and in control. She says her prayers have also been reminiscent of the story of Jesus feeding the 5000, asking God to make what little she can bring be enough. Prayer is going to be a big factor for all of these teachers: praying that God uses what little they have in their “teacher bag” to make an impact for their students, praying for a Godly perspective and attitude, praying for a Godly reminder to let go of the pressure to be perfect and instead rely on His strength and wisdom, and especially praying that through it all, these students will come to know God and the love of Jesus in their lives.