From uncertainty about class schedules to fears about contracting the coronavirus, teachers from across Canada share their most pressing concerns about returning to school in the fall.
TORONTO -- Daniel Fernandez is struggling to prepare his lessons in Canadian world studies and English as a second language for his high school students in September. The Ottawa-based teacher still doesn’t know how his classes will be organized when they resume in-person, as is currently expected in Ontario, in the fall.
While many educators welcomed the prospect of a return to the classroom, they were also united in their desire for it to be done in a safe and organized way. The Calgary physical education teacher for grades six to nine has been cancer-free for only a year and a half. In terms of prevention, a number of teachers said they were concerned about contracting coronavirus because they didn’t know how much, if any, personal protective equipment and sanitation supplies would be provided to them when they returned to school.
Diana Wang-Martin, a high school teacher in Mississauga, Ont., said she was particularly concerned about the possibility of having to teach in class and online in the fall. “If we can’t get back to some level of normalcy and kids can’t get active again, and we stay focused on the core subjects, I think we're going to be losing some kids,” she said.
Bryan Andrews, a high school science teacher in Calgary, said he found the transition to online learning during the school closures particularly difficult because of the separation he felt from his students. He said their online interactions were no substitute for the connection they would normally have in the classroom.
Several teachers said they were worried their students’ education would suffer as a result of the new class structures and schedules.
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