One Year Ago: School's Closure Due to COVID-19 Hasn't Stopped Teaching, Learning or Care for Students

One year ago on Friday the 13, 2020, school campuses across the Los Angeles Unified School District closed down to protect the health of students and their families, as well as educators and the larger community in the beginning of a little understood but rapidly escalating coronavirus pandemic.

Teachers and students had little notice, with some only getting word that morning that students would be sent home and that campuses would close at the end of the day 

“It was like something out of a movie, like a zombie apocalypse kind of  thing. It was wild. It was something that I never expected I’d have to do,” said Maria Ortega, who teaches first grade at Florence Griffith Joyner Elementary School in South Los Angeles.

Like many teachers across the district, Ortega, a graduate of the UCLA Teacher Education Program, scrambled to get students ready to stay at home for two weeks.   

“We found out about 9.30 that morning and it was just a big rush to pack up that day. I didn’t know what to send the kids [home] with other than like a packet. I was just trying to put in their backpacks anything that I thought was going to be helpful for two weeks,” Ortega said.“ And we weren’t even able to hug them goodbye, because at that point we were being told, don’t hug your students.” 

One year later, campuses may be closed, but school did not end.  Teaching and learning have continued.

“The buildings may be closed, but schooling is happening, it’s just happening in a way that we’re not used to,” said Jackie Belloso, a teacher at UCLA Community School in Koreatown. “We are still learning. We’re still reading, we’re still learning math, and technology-wise, I think we have learned quite a bit.”

That is not to say it has been easy. Teachers and schools have struggled at times to find and engage students, and access to technology devices and internet service has been a difficult challenge for many students and their families, especially in the first weeks after campuses closed. Teachers have had to make changes in how they teach, and to learn new skills.

“Children have continued to learn through this whole process, but I think  students are learning  in different ways, and I think that’s been hard for us as teachers to always adjust,” Belloso says. “And it’s even more important that we be sure to understand and address their social and emotional needs. We have to connect with students in that way and serve their humanity as well.” 

To shine a light on what has happened in schools in Los Angeles in this year of pandemic, teachers affiliated with UCLA have shared their experiences with the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies.  In a series of interviews, these teachers have told us their stories of the past year.

They told us of the chaotic first days when campuses closed. They talked about the fears of students and  of their concerns for the children. And they told us about their own fears and emotions.

“The kids were sharing that they were scared. They are first graders. They did not know what was happening and why we were going to be out of school for two weeks,” Ortega said. “They were like, ‘when are we coming back?’

“It was hard, it was really hard, I was emotionally overwhelmed,” Ortega said, choking back tears.  

They told us of their struggle to reconnect with students and the difficulties that students and sometimes, they as teachers, had in accessing technology and the internet service needed to engage in instruction.

“I think one of my biggest concerns was how was I going to communicate with them,” said Nhung Ha, a recent graduate of UCLA TEP and a fifth-grade teacher at Charnock Road Elementary School in Culver City. “A lot of kids were not able to access Zoom and stuff, and I wasn’t sure how they would do their work. For many, their access to technology devices and internet was very low if not non-existent.“

Teachers spoke of calling every student to check in, of going to students’ homes to try and find them and to make sure they were okay and had internet access.

Reflecting on the first few weeks that followed, the teachers spoke of the difficulties with teaching and learning, of not being able to find students,  of students who could not access the internet, and of black boxes on Zoom with students who did not want to turn on their camera. They talked about their own lack of confidence in using technology and their struggles to teach using zoom. 

“I found myself finding busy work for them to do. That’s not something I normally do in my classroom,” Belloso said. “I wasn’t able to teach the way that I normally was able to do. “

They described the stress children were feeling. They also talked about the impact of the virus on their students and families, of illness and death. Virtually all of the teachers interviewed had students whose parents or caregivers had lost jobs or had been economically impacted. 

“A lot of students have had family members who died. One student, from November to January … had three family members pass away, her grandma, her aunt and her cousin,” Ha said.  “One day she just messaged me privately, ‘Can we talk in the breakout room?’ And it was her and her mom crying, telling me that her grandma just passed away from COVID and they [wouldn’t] be in school for the next day. Our teachers at our school raised $1,050 for the funeral.”

The teachers talked about their own isolation, of teaching all day in their bedroom or dining room or kitchen, and then having to make dinner. There was little separation between home and work.  Some had roommates or partners, some lived alone, but all felt some disconnection. They missed their friends and colleagues at the schools they worked at.  

But things are not all grim. They spoke enthusiastically about their successes, the progress they have made, and their commitment to teaching and the kids, even in the midst of the pandemic. 

“I really want to challenge that narrative that children are not learning, Belloso said. “They continue to learn.” 

They told of working together with colleagues over the summer to plan for new classes in the fall, about the progress schools made in improving internet access, of learning new ways to use apps and technology and new ways to teach. Several took part in the school district’s Future Ready professional development program to develop new skills

“When this started, I didn’t even know what Zoom was, but I got better at it,” said Brian Learn, a UCLA TEP graduate who teaches science at Early College Academy High School.“And now, I have started to be a lot more serious using strategies that promote engagement and I’m constantly checking for understanding. 

“If you were to join my class today, you would see that students will be answering poll questions every few minutes, to check for understanding. You would see me using breakout rooms, which was something that initially I wasn’t comfortable with and now I feel a lot more skilled at using. Using breakout rooms, I can see in real time the work that each group is doing.  I can join their breakout and ask, “How can I help?’ I’ve also been trying to do more socialemotional check-ins at the beginning of each class session. I’ve realized that things are not okay for a variety of reasons, and so I try to start with empathy. That’s been my theme song, my motto this year.”

Above all else, the teachers remain committed to teaching and to fighting for equity and justice for their students. 

“I love being a teacher and  love teaching at the Mann UCLA Community School. I love the community, I love the students,” said Marcus Van, who has been teaching for 17 years and now teaches English and journalism at the South Los Angeles school. 

During the past year, Van has also played a leading role in the development of the Mann-UCLA Anti-Racist Committee (ARC). (LINK) The committee meet on a weekly basis to advance three key elements of the community school, school governance, collaborative learning, and student and family leadership.

“I believe greatly in the teaching profession. The experience of this pandemic has only solidified my commitment to teaching and my commitment to schools and to students and to families.”

Van and the other teachers are looking forward to returning to campus, but only when its safe, when teachers and staff are vaccinated and schools are ready.  Until then, they will keep working to support students and encourage learning. 

“I would say that no matter what has been happening, students are learning, that they are engaging with their peers, they’re able to just be kids for a moment and laugh with each other,” Ortega says. “I want them to laugh with me. It’s our time to have fun while we’re doing what we normally would have done in the classroom. And when we do come back to schools, I want them to have the same support that we have right now, that teachers and schools and families will to continue to build that bridge and really connect because without both, our students cannot keep showing progress.  I would love for that to continue.”

Editor’s Note: John McDonald, director of the UCLA Sudikoff Institute for Education and the Media, has been interviewing teachers affiliated with the UCLA Teacher Education Program, UCLA Community Schools and other UCLA teacher preparation and support programs about their experiences teaching in year since school campuses closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Highlights of those interviews will be shared in an upcoming article in the UCLA SEIS Magazine and on the UCLA Sudikoff “Knowledge That Matters” website.