TEACHER VOICE: In dark pandemic days, we are teachers, watchdogs, technology experts and therapists Helping our students manage stress, even remotely, matters more than ever

We all know that what happens outside school impacts a student’s academic performance. Never before have the two been so closely intermingled. School closures and remote learning have upended classrooms, relationships and support systems, putting students at higher risk of developing anxiety and depression.

I teach at the Pioneer Charter School of Science in Everett, Massachusetts, a city just north of Boston. The pandemic that sent us home nearly a year ago has become our new way of life. My colleagues and I spent the summer envisioning new strategies— for teaching, engaging with students and becoming familiar with technology to ensure all of us were doing our jobs right.

We hoped that one day, when we looked back, we could say we did everything we could, and there would be no education gap.

But teachers have always worn multiple hats, arguably even more so now. In addition to our teaching and our roles as watchdogs and technology experts, we find ourselves in the critical position of therapist as our students face the ongoing trauma and uncertainty of the pandemic at home.

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