It is no lie that COVID-19 has brought new levels of stress, anxiety, and mental health concerns to people everywhere. The pandemic has caused people to worry as they work to adjust their daily lives and make sure they are safe. Some of the people most affected by this are teachers. Due to their dedication and commitment, the amount of pressure laid on a teacher day by day is conclusively unhealthy, but that is something that is almost never brought to light. From the family with a mother who is a high school teacher, these struggles are very concerning. 

A common misconception about teachers is that they work from 8am to 3pm and then go about their lives. Teachers very rarely finish working by 3 o’clock. Instead, they leave their place of employment and return to their homes where they continue to work until they are satisfied with what they have done or even just get burnt out from all the grading, planning and emails. This could take until even 11pm and rarely leaving them with only an hour or two to themselves. This is something that existed even before the pandemic and now with the addition of remote learning, it has only become more difficult.

My mother is what is known as a “hybrid teacher.” She teaches two groups of students in person and various online classes. The amount of time that she is on her computer has started to affect her immensely. She lives with a constant array of body aches and emotions from the amount of screen time she experiences as well as the posture she is practically forced to be in in order to provide her students with the knowledge they need to succeed. In addition to this she has her family which she tries her best to spend time with everyday as well as me and my brother who she tries to help as much as possible with school work. Even through all of this, she gets up every morning, gets ready for work, and is there for her students. Students who need her to be able to strive in this world. 

All in all, I am sure that my family is not alone on this. My mother is grateful to have a family that supports her and understands her struggles. She also relies on faith to keep her going everyday. It is important to remember that our teachers are humans too and they also have their own personal lives. Being considerate and appreciative goes a long way.