COVID
What it’s Like
Vignettes
Jaycob Yang: Finding a Way in the First Year MEA member Jaycob Yang began his first year of teaching in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. By December, he was burning out in his job working with Utica sixth graders in virtual school. “Especially in the first half of the year, it was a difficult balance,” he said. “I was online all day, then I took an hour break after school. Then I would be working from 4 to midnight, because as a first-year teacher you don’t know how to pace yourself.” Yang now goes to bed by 10 and figures, “It’ll get done when it gets done,” but he admits to questioning if teaching is right for him. Some friends from college have dropped out. “I will be 100% honest: the burnout is real. However, even though this is not what I expected, I recognize that this year is not the truth and I’m willing to give it another try.” Yang is sharing his story to help other beginners feel less isolated. For the same reason, he is among the newest leaders of Michigan New Educators (MiNE), a group of early career educators developing networking and supports for MEA member peers. “My message to other first-year teachers—if you’re having bad days or bad weeks and feeling like you want to quit—you’re not alone. And feeling that way doesn’t make us less worthy of being in the profession.”
Yang’s motivation for taking on a leadership role in MiNE echoes his reasons for becoming an educator: Representation matters. Yang did not have a full-time educator of color until high school, or an Asian‑American educator until college. Attending largely white schools, without role models, weakened his confidence. “I sold so many bits and pieces of my personality just to conform and fit in and not be as noticeably Asian. But it’s noticeable when you’re the only minority student in the class. It’s noticeable when no one sits with you at lunch. I often felt, because I was Asian‑American, I was held to that higher standard, because of the ‘model minority’ myth.” Yang knows the importance of connections, but they’re hard to make online with many student cameras off. The pandemic has added trauma, and his principal pointed out that everyone is grieving losses. Yang is grieving the loss of interaction and what he expected his first year of teaching to be. The kids are missing normalcy and grieving the loss of their final year on the elementary campus. Every day he includes talk of “roses and thorns,” allowing students to share frustrations and focus on “beautiful moments.” He looks for roses, too: His students greeting each other kindly in the chat, finding the courage to speak up, joking around and developing routines.
Jaycob Yang
One day, a student discovered the “praise” feature in the meeting platform and sent praise to the teacher. Suddenly others joined in—praising his ability to teach tough concepts, like fractions, and make them feel better when they’re sad. “When there’s M-STEP to prep for and NWEA to prep for, and you have to keep up with your district’s pacing, it’s easy to forget the students are so thoughtful and there for you when you need them. And they know you are there for them, too. “Seeing their appreciation puts things into perspective,” Yang added. “I’m effective where it counts, and it can be a normal year. There can be moments of beauty and joy and normalcy.”
MEA VOICE 21
