Exhausting. Challenging. Unsustainable. These are the most common words that educators are using to describe what the beginning of the 2021-22 school year has been like for them. Staff shortages that began long before the pandemic have now reached crisis levels. New and ever-changing safety protocols have compounded the problem by adding to the already-increasing workloads of all educators. Students who haven’t been in classrooms full-time for nearly two years are having to learn how to interact with their peers and be part of a structured school environment again, on
14
TODAY’S OEA | FALL/WINTER 2021
top of trying to catch up academically. And the threat of COVID-19 still looms over the scene, creating an extra layer of anxiety for all. And still, OEA members and educators across the nation are showing up every single day, doing their best to provide quality public education for all students. From the full-time release local presidents who are doing their part to fill the gaps in substitute coverage, to the bus drivers who are taking on extra routes to ensure students have a safe ride to and from school, to the school nurses who are giving their all to keep students and staff healthy and safe — we've collected just a few of these eye-opening Back to School stories from OEA members across our state. — Milana Grant
