To protect loved ones during COVID-19, Avid teacher Jen Culbertson and English teacher Tara Deleon began teaching from home. 

Both have taught from home since the beginning of the school year.

Deleon is taking care of her father and Culbertson has children at home who are learning remotely. 

“If you told me in 2019 that I’d be teaching from home, I would have laughed and said that teaching from home is impossible,” Deleon said. 

But despite that thinking, both Culbertson and Deleon don’t find it harder to teach at home. 

“(Pros are) there are fewer interruptions, and I can focus on work. I have more time to plan, grade, meet with students, meet with colleagues, make phone calls home,” Culbertson said. “(Cons are) there is no separation between work time and leisure time.”

Although with a different routine, Deleon and Culbertson learned that communication with students and colleagues is the same. 

“I have learned that no matter what arises, teachers will always step up and do what is best for their students. It amazes me that I can still work so seamlessly with my course teams over Zoom, email, phone calls, and texting,” Deleon said. “Although I just want to see my kids and feel that energy of the classroom setting, I feel like I’m finally getting to know my students now.”

Although not expecting to teach from home, both hope students see the effort from teachers during remote learning. 

“I want things to go back to normal, but it might take a long time.  I really miss being in class with kids and being able to look them in the eyes, read their body language, and take cues from their facial expressions,” Culbertson said.

Deleon hopes to go back to the building once everything is safe. 

“I will continue to teach from home until students come back. There are bright spots, of course, and I’m so grateful I can still do this job to the best of my ability, but I miss my kids,” Deleon said.