COVID 19

It’s been a hard few years for teachers during the pandemic. And roughly 1 out of every 5 educators say they’ve experienced Long COVID symptoms. WNIJ’s Peter Medlin has the story of one Rockford educator who has been forced to leave teaching because of lingering COVID-related medical issues.

Our podcast Teachers’ Lounge is on the radio! We’ve got all of the interviews with Illinois teachers and education stories you love -- along with exclusive segments -- in a monthly, hour-long show on WNIJ on the last Friday of each month at 11 a.m. You can also listen right here, right now!

We're reflecting on speeches from the Class of 2020 as we near the 4th school year impacted by the pandemic.

Joshua Nichols said he would be disappointed if Congress couldn’t compromise to continue the federal waivers.“That's going to add definitely another level of struggle to families. Now you're going to have to come up with a new solution on how to feed your kids.”

Two students from very different points in their education tell tales of pandemic learning & we're joined by the Illinois Teacher of the Year!

Destiny Hudson was in 5th grade when COVID-19 shut down schools back in 2020. Now, she’s finishing up 7th Grade. Devin Snow was a sophomore when it all went down and now he’s graduating high school. They’ve both been through this weird learning experience, but at very different points in their education journey.

Two students, one high schooler and one middle schooler, sit down to talk about what school's been like the past two years

50% of staff at schools in the state’s trauma-responsive pilot program say they had little to no training on supporting youth experiencing traumatic stress.

For teachers and students, with spring comes spring break. But spring also means something less fun…state standardized testing. Illinois is considering making big changes to how and when students have to take these stress-inducing exams.

Right now, people aren’t interested in large mass vaccination events or even school-based clinics.