Adapting to the ins and outs of remote learning has proven to be a challenge for teachers, students (and parents!) all around the world over the past six months.
The 2020/21 school year kicked off quite unlike any other, and it seems that everyone is going to have to prepare for a quick changing, unpredictable year ahead.
But if you thought teachers had it crazy enough right now as it was, imagine throwing a pregnancy into the mix!
Janet Udomratsak, an expectant mother and elementary school teacher from California, suffered some pregnancy complications and was sent to hospital to be monitored.
Usually when someone references their ability to learn or work from “anywhere” remotely, they’re exaggerating.
But Janet takes her job very seriously, and wasn’t going to let a little bed rest keep her from working.
To her third grade students, Mrs. Udomratsak simply goes by “Mrs. O”. She was hospitalized before the beginning of the school year and has been there for the past seven weeks. In a normal setting, she would have needed to stay in the hospital and take time off from school.
But these are no ordinary times.
With the magic of virtual learning, Mrs. O is really putting the “work from anywhere” mindset to the test. She hasn’t skipped a beat, and continues teaching her students from her hospital bed.
Udomratsak spoke to WMBF News about her unusual situation., which apparently doesn’t feel so unusual for her!
“Honestly, being in the hospital to me, in this setting, almost feels no different than if I were at home. The only difference is that yes… I am in the hospital.”
As a seasoned professional, teaching middle school for the past 11 years, she knows the importance of those first few weeks in the classroom.
“In the beginning of the school year, that’s when you build your relationship with your students, and I didn’t want to miss that opportunity.”
Since the coming weeks, months, and – dare I say it? – years, are bound to be unconventional, we all have to work together to pave this new path. Mrs. O recognizes that this pandemic has thrown a spanner into the works for everyone, not just herself.
“It’s something that is new for all of us, and I want to show them that I am there with them. The struggle is real for me as a teacher, it’s real for them as the students and really, that we are all in it together.”
Even the doctors in her ward have gotten on board with it, and have started working their monitoring schedules around her lessons.
They respect what she’s doing and say they try to keep out of her way whenever possible so she can continue on teaching.
When her teaching props are up, they know class is in session. She keeps a calendar, white board, and daily welcome message up behind her on screen.
Of course, she knows she will need to go on maternity leave eventually.
This is her second pregnancy, and is due to give birth in mid-to-late October. But she’s showing no signs of slowing down any time soon. She says that she plans to keep working until her doctors advise her to take leave.
And in addition to all her online lessons, she still has time for regular visits with her husband and son!
That’s some next level dedication to your career!
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Source: Fox 11, Scary Mommy, WMBF News
