Beneath the Surface

Alex is a kindergarten teacher in Brooklyn, New York. Nutrition, health and exercise are important to her as she experienced healing through prayer from an eating disorder. She lives in Manhattan with her husband.

Beneath the Surface: A Tribute to Teachers

An Interview with Alex Bradt

In what ways has COVID impacted your work?

I worked from home all last year and I never thought that would be possible as a kindergarten teacher because so much is hands-on. The first three months you’re teaching kids to play and hold a pencil—how do you do that through a computer? Even with that, it was enjoyable working from home. My husband, Alex, was working on the other side of the house and it was nice to be together. New York was pretty dead for some moments, and we would go on walks. Work-life balance was tricky because I was living right next to my desk. I still had the same responsibilities and tried to make it fun by dressing up and letting the kids meet my dog. I actually miss it a little bit.

This year has been challenging in adjusting to being back in the classroom. The commute to and from work and the COVID slide have added to the challenges. Many students are behind, and we had to make a few modifications. It has been a rollercoaster of a year for teachers, but for me, I am in a good place right now.

As a frontline worker during a pandemic, how has your faith been impacted?

I actually feel like I am in one of the stronger sections of my faith during the pandemic. The whole first year, I had so much of the worldly things taken away that provide fun and pleasure, like going out, but that can be distractions. I was able to draw closer to God because I was forced to lean into him.

We joined a new church at the start of the pandemic, and we were able to join online. The church is called Church of the City—New York City. We joined during lent and it was really powerful. We were able to take lent in last year in a deeper way. It had already felt like a year of lent but we were able to dive in and it felt like a big fast.

We pray often together as a couple and discuss how we are more intentional throughout the day. Calling on God to bring him into the room with us for situations that felt out of control. I feel like I have been able to develop a friendship with Jesus and that he’s in the room with me and see my struggles. I feel very connected to Jesus, even though I have had a lot of loneliness, that I have been able to connect with him. Which is just his grace because I know how difficult the last few years have been.

Describe how the responsibilities of your work, particularly during this time, impact the roles you play as a woman?

I struggled with it a lot. When the pandemic hit, we had not even been married a year. I was still adjusting to being a wife and I felt overwhelmed by it. At the end of my work day, I was so depleted from reaching out to families I just wanted to sit on the couch. We had to talk about creative ways to do household chores together.

I felt mental drained and exhausted from reaching out and not hearing from families for months. I am a very empathetic person and it would worry me when I didn’t hear or see a child. I was disconnected a little from [my husband] because I could not shut off the emotional side of my work. It was challenging and things felt heavier this last year. I had to learn to invest in my relationship with [him] instead of worrying about other things on my list.

How would you say that impact is different for men in your field?

First of all, there are not as many male teachers and if I were to compare, I honestly think it had the same impact. For most families in the city, the roles are not the same traditional roles that exist in other places. Male teachers are typically teaching middle school, which is a whole different vibe. I rarely bring work home and middle school teachers have to bring work home. I honestly think it has to do with what age you’re teaching and not gender roles.

What are some things you learned over the past few years to help mitigate anxiety and stress?

I have a routine of praying in the morning and having the routine is so helpful in preventing anxiety. Even in my most anxious moments, when I had a list so long, I had to put it away and make time for God. God saw that I took time to give to him and he almost always had things fall into place and I would have a peace for the day. When I would make time for God, he would repay it later in the day. I also take a daily bath to make time for myself. New York City can be really loud and you walk right out the door into the city from your house. The bath is one place I can just be.

I love to move and exercise. I work out five times a week, which gives me better sleep and makes me more energetic. Even when I am tired and don’t want to exercise, I have like ten times more energy afterwards. I usually work out after work to sweat it out.

Worshiping and playing music, even in the background, has also helped a lot. I feel like even though there has been a pandemic, I’ve had one of the best years of my life. I turned 30 and I finally felt like I was thriving. I feel like I found my balance in life, and I still found joy in the midst of the uncertainty. 27