For Winooski high school teacher Caitlin MacLeod-Bluver, student absences and optional mask-wearing has created new difficulties. But she remains optimistic: ‘Our kids are incredibly resilient’

*Caitlin MacLeod-Bluver, center left, works with students in her Winooski classroom.*

It was a Thursday evening in early February. Caitlin MacLeod-Bluver has just gotten home after a day of teaching at Winooski High School, where she has worked for the past three years. Caitlin has been teaching for 12 years now, but today, like every day so far this school year, was markedly different, even from the last few days.

It wasn’t who was in the classroom. It was who wasn’t. That day, the large number of absences are impossible to ignore.

“I feel like that’s the biggest way COVID is continuing to affect me,” Caitlin said.

But over the course of the next two months, as COVID shifted, Caitlin shifted with it, feeling the impact of the virus spill out into her day-to-day teaching in her classroom. Over the last eight weeks, she chronicled the ever-changing situation in interviews, and in each one she seemed to have yet another unexpected challenge. In 2022, Caitlin and her colleagues in Winooski and around Vermont have faced challenges unlike anything they have ever experienced.

In early February, it was the case of the missing students.

*Caitlin MacLeod-Bluver discusses an assignment with students in her Winooski classroom.*

February 3

As she looked back at her day, she explained why these absences were such a headache. With no remote option available for students, those who miss class due to COVID-19 or any other reason have to work with their teachers to make up assignments they may have missed. The gap in their learning that this can create is something schools across the state have been working to minimize, but the reality is that for many students, missing even a few days of classes can be a huge setback.

“Kids missing school is really, really hard,” Caitlin said.

Caitlin has taught history, special education, English, and supporting new English learners. She started her teaching career in Boston, and spent time teaching in Alaska before moving to Vermont with her husband Drew, a public defender in Washington County.

“I started teaching when I was 22 — straight out of undergrad, in Boston public schools,” Caitlin said.

This year, she is teaching two different reading classes and a history course called “Challenging Systems of Oppression: Reconstruction to Black Lives Matter.” Her classes include students from freshmen to seniors.

In Winooski, new COVID cases in early February didn’t seem as if they would decline anytime soon, and that meant students and staff were struggling to keep up with the ever-changing guidelines.

“I think students are very much over and tired of COVID,” Caitlin said. “Everyone's tired of wearing masks. And mask wearing continues to be a struggle.”

The school had recently changed its testing policies, with rapid tests now being conducted at home instead of at the school. This has led to student and teacher concerns around the reliability of the self-reporting of positive COVID cases. Plus, Caitlin said, “I think the guidance is confusing right now.”

She said that this was true for teachers, students, and importantly, their families, who are sometimes unsure of how long their child has to stay home, or even when they should be testing.

“Anecdotally, I feel like not a lot of students are testing,” Caitlin said. “You can't mandate that kids do the test — you can't ask for their results. So, kids can kind of see through that, and if they don't want to stand up and get a test, they don't have to.”

“It almost feels like, ‘we've moved past this.’ Our COVID coordinators are no longer COVID coordinators, the COVID hotline is shut down. It almost feels like ‘Yeah, you're on your own. Test or don't.’ It just feels like it's definitely a transition point,” she said.

In addition to COVID-related issues, Caitlin and other educators also had noticed the challenge students are facing in returning to the classroom after such a long gap. Many teachers have observed increased behavioral issues, less engagement from students, and higher usage of electronic devices in the classroom.

“I mean, we as teachers, were thrilled to have kids back in person — we want to be in person, and we believe that's what's best for kids. But there are certainly many challenges,” Caitlin said. “Just kind of like readjusting to ‘what does it mean to be a high school student?’”

“You know, [I’ve] read many, many articles about education [during COVID], and what it feels like. I think there continues to be [reporting] with lots of numbers, but less humanizing around what this actually looks like.”

February 15

It was 3:30 p.m. on a Tuesday and Caitlin was leaving school for the day — a little earlier than most teachers, since she had to pick up her two-year-old son Alder from daycare in 45 minutes. She makes this trip every day after school as part of her drive back to her home in Moretown.

In a week, students and teachers would be on their February vacation break. She said everyone was looking forward to it.

Caitlin had started her day today like most teachers — finalizing plans and activities for her classes. Today that involved preparing a source for her history class and designing writing questions for the students to respond to. She also began preparing lessons and questions for classes after the break.

At 8:00 a.m., Caitlin recalled, during her first reading class of the day, she had an engaging discussion with students on a series of articles about climate change.

“We had a couple of students pretty adamant that building sea walls was an effective and good strategy — and then most of the class was anti-sea wall,” Caitlin said.

“They’re very engaged,” Caitlin explains with pride in her voice, describing the class’ continued interest in the material. “It felt like a really good discussion with a lot of controversy. Students really backing up their opinions with evidence — that was good.”

But, as usual, the large number of absences are hard to ignore.

“We don’t know anything, in terms of if these were COVID related absences or not, but there were a lot of absences today,” Caitlin says.

In her next reading class, Caitlin’s students were working on finishing up their presentations. They had been assigned to make a presentation about their potential future career and share it with the class on Friday. After this came lunchtime.

“It was a busy middle of the day, with different meetings and supporting students in different ways,” said Caitlin.

That afternoon, Caitlin helped some of her students with applications to technical schools, something she said her students are very excited about. Like most teachers, her day was full. Today, it wrapped up with a history class. Another one that she is proud of.

“Almost every student finished up their writing assignment, and we’re doing a celebration on Thursday. So, it was a busy day, but it was a good day,” Caitlin said cheerfully.

But even on days like this, where the work is reminiscent of a normal school day, the harsh reality of teaching and learning during COVID hovered over the classroom.

“As the world moves on, it’s still very much affecting us as teachers…It’s just kind of the new reality,” Caitlin said. “It really just feels like it’s a part of our life in a way that we’re not really recognizing it anymore…People are eager to move on, call it endemic, you know, just live with it in some ways. It certainly feels hard because I'm living with a kid who can't get a vaccine yet.”

She was on her way home, but she was already thinking about the vanishing hours. Every night, after a few hours of playing with her son, Caitlin sits down to plan or grade — tasks that can take hours. Balancing a family life alongside teaching full time is a challenge no matter the year.

“I’m often still at my computer at 9:00 at night,” Caitlin said.

The next morning, she would have to leave her house at 6:30 a.m. to make the 45-minute commute to Winooski in time for an early session.

*Caitlin poses with some of her students.*

March 4

It had been a full week since students have returned from February break. Caitlin was leaving school, well aware of the day of the week. “I’m happy it’s Friday,” she said.

As always, she was getting ready for a long drive, first to day-care, then home. Even this drive home was time to think about teaching. Lately, Caitlin has been listening to podcasts about literacy and the science of reading. But it’s not uncommon for her to take this time to listen to audiobooks that her classes are reading.

Today she taught the same classes as usual: two reading and one history. In her reading class, most of the students had finished reading the assigned books: Class Act, a graphic novel by Jerry Craft; Kwame Alexander’s Rebound, Jewell Parker Rhodes’Ghost Boys, and Jasmine Warga’s Other Words for Home.

“We had a nice little celebration and a book party,” she said. “I just love being with the kids so much.”

Caitlin said she always tries to feel optimistic about teaching and her students, even with some of the unique challenges presented by COVID.

“Students being disengaged, on their phones, unmotivated — that does persist. It’s not like, ‘Oh, after February break everything’s better.’ I don’t want to give off that impression. But I did have a good day. I’m generally trying to adapt and find ways to engage with students to help them be motivated and interested in academic content.”

Despite her optimism, she had a new concern: an email that arrived on this day that said wearing masks would be optional starting on March 14.

She felt conflicted.

“I think generally, kids are so excited to not be wearing a mask, and I know I certainly am looking forward to seeing kids’ faces. It's really hard teaching with a mask,” Caitlin said. “But with a two-year-old, who’s unvaccinated, it does feel like the world is just kind of moving on, and it does scare me…There were at least three cases of COVID in the high school alone this past week. So COVID is still very much a thing that’s happening in Winooski, so I do have some reservations about lifting the mandate.”

She continued: “I want normalcy just like anyone else. It's really hard to teach with a mask. It's really hard to develop relationships, and certainly really hard to teach [students] aspects of reading when they can't see your mouth. But I would say my initial reaction is hesitant, and wary about what this really means for me, given who I live with.”

Masks or no masks, this year will continue to be a challenge for educators, especially considering the lasting impact of nearly 20 months of non-traditional education.

“I feel very proud of my teaching and confident in the work that I'm doing with the kids. But, yeah, students are still very behind where they would be in a normal year,” Caitlin said.

Even considering that, Caitlin said, teaching requires taking note of little victories, and celebrating those. This day was no exception. Some of her students were finishing books for their literature circle, others had finished essays — all steps in the right direction, and all things for both student and teacher to be proud of in what has been an extraordinarily challenging school year from start to finish.

“Our kids are incredibly resilient. I’m constantly impressed by the hurdles and challenges that they face and how they overcome them,” she said. Again, the pride in her voice was unmistakable.

And she said she had to match their resiliency, both inside and out of the classroom. For the upcoming weekend, in addition to the usual grading and planning, that meant taking a break and going skiing with friends and family, including two-year-old Alder.

“I'm looking forward to it,” Caitlin said, laughing.