LEE COUNTY, N.C. — Sandi Harris-Shover is now teaching her students from her scrapbook room. She's been a teacher for years, and says she feels like she's working more hours during the pandemic.
"For my own curiosity, I calculated how many grades I had handled as of this past Friday. Between English and Social Studies, 137 assignments times 58 students. I'll do the math. That's 7,946 individual grades since the beginning of the school year," Harris-Shover says.
She says the alternative to working these hours is scarier. She has asthma but is still hoping to give in-person learning a shot. She'll return to her classroom in Lee County this week, despite not feeling safe.
"There's still the 'what ifs.' " What if someone sends their child to school and their kid is sick?" Harris-Shover says.
She says it's hardly a choice. Many teachers face the issue of returning to school or risking financial setbacks.
Some teachers, such as Shelley Schwenks, are even choosing to quit all together.
She's been teaching for more than 20 years and is eligible for early retirement. She'll leave her Union County school in November.
"I'm leaving those students that show up for me every day, and it breaks my heart, but I also have my own child to think about. It's too much to put my child in jeopardy," Schwenks says.
Schwenks' school has been shut down for two weeks due to an increase in positive COVID-19 cases.
As for Harris-Shover, she says in-person learning will look similar to at-home learning.
"Even the kids in my classroom will be on a computer. The only difference is you’ll be in the building with me," Harris-Shover says.
Harris-Shover says the one positive of the pandemic has been helping districts go completely digital.
"I don't want to take papers anymore. That's a plus, that we can go digital. I didn’t want to do it under these circumstances, but I do like not having to drag home a big tub of papers," she says.
