Meghan Howard’s weekly routine was waking up at 7 a.m. to spend eight hours with a bunch of 8 and 9 year olds for the past few months. As an elementary education major at George Fox University, Meghan spent her entire senior year in a third grade classroom at Tualatin Elementary School. As the coronavirus struck Oregon and public schools were forced to transition to online school, Meghan’s student-teaching experience took a turn for the unknown.

After spending almost an entire school year in her classroom, Meghan said, “the kids are awesome. I have a behaviorally challenged class, which has been challenging. However, we do a morning meeting every day and I get to just talk with the kids and that’s by far the best part- being around them and hearing what they have to say. They have the most funny comments sometimes.” Her favorite part about college was getting to do something she actually enjoys rather than taking random classes she did not necessarily care for.

Her favorite courses she took in college were the ones where she was able to interact with the students. Meghan said, “There was an early childhood education class and we got to take field trips to several daycares and it was fun because we got to observe and play with the kids.”  For as long as she can remember, Meghan has always wanted to become a mom. She enjoys spending time with children because of their free spirits and sense of humor. Her love of children is what inspired her to pursue a career as an elementary education teacher.

The last thing Meghan expected was to be finishing her final few weeks as a student teacher from home. She said the first time she heard about the coronavirus was from her mom who heard about it spreading in China on the news. Meghan recalled, “I remember asking my teacher about it in December after my mom had brought it up to me and I asked if she was worried about it all. Her response was, ‘no, it’s in China.’” Through reassurance from her teachers and her mom, Meghan put thoughts of the coronavirus on the backburner and continued to focus on her student teaching.

Then came March and the coronavirus had spread to the United States. “No one really knew this would happen,” said Meghan. She immediately became concerned for her own personal health. In the past, Meghan has struggled with lung issues including sick-induced asthma. Knowing that the coronavirus tends to attack people’s respiratory system, she decided to take the proper precautions in order to protect herself.

George Fox, Meghan’s University, also took proper precautions mid-March and quickly transitioned to online learning. The school was notified that a student on-campus showed symptoms of the coronavirus and was getting tested. Following the shut down of state schools in Oregon, George Fox made the decision to close campus and transition to online school.

As a student teacher, Meghan also needed to be aware of how her school district reacted to the outbreak. The Tigard-Tualatin school district was actually one of the first public school districts in Oregon to make the decision to transition to online learning, which was announced on March 13. “The last few weeks have been up in the air for teachers. I have been helping to plan activities and lessons, as well as attending staff meetings,” Meghan said. 

When the coronavirus shut down public schools, there were a lot of unknown factors and questions running through Meghan’s mind. However, the biggest concern for her was her students. “I was worried about how my students would feel because they aren’t able to handle their emotions as well as adults can,” said Meghan. Additionally, some of her students rely on the school to provide them with adequate meals and serve as child care services to many working families. Other students are quarantined in unsafe environments and have to navigate abusive home situations.

Luckily, thanks to technology, Meghan was able to connect with about half of her class using ‘Google Meet’, which allows the class to meet in a virtual format. She plans to do this every Friday for the remainder of the school year to check-in with her students. Although this entire process of adjusting to an online learning format and not physically seeing her students has been stressful, Meghan has faith that the school district will make decisions that are best for the students, considering the circumstances.

As a student herself, Meghan’s final semester of college was not going how she thought it would. She had one more week of full-time student teaching with her third graders, five weeks of observing different grade levels, graduation and a vacation to San Diego planned with friends to celebrate graduating college. All of these things were adjusted, postponed or cancelled.

With as much loss as Meghan experienced, she’s continued to find ways to fill her time and remain motivated. All of her days are spent at home with her family, boyfriend and dogs. “I have been going on lots of walks, playing games with my family, and working out everyday by running on the treadmill,” she said. Along with physically taking care of herself, Meghan has had the opportunity to do things she usually does not have time for during school.

“Down time during school is hard to come by and this time is a reminder of how important it is to take that time for yourself and refresh,” said Meghan. While in quarantine, she’s started reading the Harry Potter series and opened up her Bible for the first time in several years. Meghan said, “George Fox is a Christian University and we often pray and have to go to chapel. However, reading the Bible during quarantine has been my choice.” 

Meghan has made major adjustments in her daily routine in the past few months due to social distancing orders. Although difficult, she’s chosen to see the good and use this time to connect with her family and do things she cares about. Her advice to others in quarantine is, “do not procrastinate and try not to focus on the negatives.” There are still many things to do during quarantine and Meghan is a great example of using this time to do something positive for herself.