We have now passed the one-year mark since the majority of American public schools shut their doors and flipped to virtual formats due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While some students have been fortunate enough to return to in-person formats, there is still a substantial number of students who remain at home.
Three weeks ago, the Senate confirmed President Biden’s education secretary nominee, Miguel Cardona.Cardona has a long history in the education field; he began his career over 15 years ago as an elementary school teacher and principal and later rose through the ranks to become Connecticut commissioner of education.During the tumultuous past year, Cardona displayed his strong leadership skills and received praise for his prioritization of helping the students in his state return to in-person learning as quickly as possible.
During his tenure as education secretary, Cardona plans to use his experience serving schools during the pandemic.It is expected that he will incorporate his personal experiences in his advocacy for investing in public schools.As both a former public school attendee and English-language learner, Cardona has a diverse background that will serve him well while speeding up reopening plans and getting children back into the education environments they deserve.
While Cardona's efforts are desperately needed, they may not be enough to combat many of the deficits students have experienced over the last year. In October, I wrote an iteration of my column, "Sobremesa," that highlighted the effects of pandemic-related school closures; in particular, itemphasized the emergence of relaxed educational standards and lack of proper nutrition.While much research has been done on the avenues that have impacted students, not as much attention has been paid to the ways that the pandemic has affected teachers. Therefore, while I agree with Cardona that we must prioritize reopening of schools, I believe that we must simultaneously institute a plan to support many of our nation’s educators who have been overlooked during the past year.
The general public has been fairly ignorant to the magnitude of many of the issues that teachers have faced over the last year. In March 2020, teachers were forced to switch to an entirely new virtual teaching modality.This, coupled with insufficient technological training, feelings of uncertainty, social isolation and an increased workload, has left many teachers in a fragile, if not broken, state of mental health. Furthermore, in addition to the financial burden from technology costs, teachers face increased health care costs due to both mental health impacts and the higher likelihood of direct COVID-19 exposure for those who have returned to the classroom.
Consequently, while the majority of Americans look favorably on Cardona’s reopening efforts, we must concurrently push for more robust support and resources for returning teachers. Teachers should receive compensation for the technological investments they have already made. They should also receive increased funding for mental health programs, as well as access to group support initiatives. This preemptive support will allow for not only an enhanced classroom experience for our nation’s youth, but also a more empathetic approach to a return to in-person learning for teachers.
