Diary of a Kindergarten Teacher and Coronavirus

I am still in disbelief that it has been 26 days since I last saw my kinders at school. That week was surreal for me. I started having flu-like symptoms on Saturday, March 7th. I could not sleep throughout the night. I was tossing and turning, slight fever, chills, nausea, dry heaving, headache, and body aches. I had some other symptoms, but that is TMI. I woke up Sunday morning and made my husband take me to urgent care. I was the first one there. The doctor checked my symptoms and vitals. She checked my lungs and cleared me of coronavirus and diagnosed me with the flu. I was sent home to get lots of rest and fluids. I missed the next four days of school. Then, the virus took over the news and the possibility of school closures was looming.

I went back to work on Friday, March 13 of all days. The front office was slightly frantic on getting distant learning packets ready. I was told to prepare them "just in case" of a school closure. But, I knew that if LAUSD closed, we would be next. Thirty-five minutes after my students arrived at school, we got the email from the Superintendent. The school would be closed. I had to quickly organize packets, pull resources, and keep the students busy. They worked on phonics and centers. However, at one point, I had to put on a video for them. This was their last day of kindergarten and no one knew it for sure. I wish I would have taken more time to enjoy them. I didn't get to hug them goodbye, all I said was we're going on vacation sooner and I hoped to see them soon.

Schools are closed and students are learning from home. Laptops were distributed and teachers began teaching in a whole new way. But, I had to take a moment and think about my kinders. Do they know what is going on? How did parents explain the virus? Do they know what social distancing is? Do they understand the importance of social distancing, the virus, and washing their hands??? I began to worry about this. I am still their teacher and wanted them to understand what is going on. So, I found a resource by Tara West on TpT. She had created books for students to understand the Coronavirus. I downloaded and printed them. I recorded myself and put it on my classdojo. I hope my students understand what is going on and why we are not in school. I miss my kinder babies and hope to see them next year. I hope they know that this won't last forever. We will get through this together.

Grateful and Thankful,
Maricella Mesa