We’ve got a special episode this week. Remember a few months back when we heard from those valedictorians about what it was like graduating in the strangest senior year ever? And remember when we heard from some parent surveys about the challenges of learning from home a few episodes ago?
Well, today we’re hearing from the kids just starting their school journey: elementary schoolers from pre-K to 5th grade in the West Aurora School District.
The question was “how are you feeling about school closures?” If they’re not running around in your house, it’s not often you get to hear from elementary school in their own words. Some are hilarious, some are heartbreaking -- overall, they’re a microcosm of how we’ve all felt during the last six months of the pandemic.
Special thanks to our own Vani Subramony for the voice-over work in this episode!
Next week, don’t you worry – we’ll be back to our normal show format! In the meantime, we want you to be a part of the show. Send us an email at teacherslounge@niu.edu and tell us how you’re feeling about in-person or virtual school in the fall. And, if you want, record your thoughts & feelings into your phone with your voice memos app, then send the file to teacherslounge@niu.edu and we could feature it on the show. You can also email us there to nominate teachers to be featured on the podcast!
Stories Featured in this episode:
'I Like To Stay Home But I Miss All Of You": How Did Elementary Students Feel About School Closures?
How Will School Social Workers Face A Mental Health Crisis, Often Over Zoom?
Students Have Moved In At Most Illinois Universities. Can It Last?
Music:
Our show's theme music is from the northern Illinois-based band "Kindoves" and their songs "Popn," "Origins" and "Quiche." You can find more of their music on their Soundcloud page. You can also listen to the episode of WNIJ's own Sessions from Studio A where they were featured.
Teachers! People who know teachers! People with stories about teachers! Send us an email and be part of the show! Also, send us your topic recommendations: teacherslounge@niu.edu