It has been over half a school year and we are still hanging in there. One thing about teaching in South Dakota other than the low salary is….no unions. Whatever our governor and school board decide, we comply.

We have been in school since September and still going strong. Our students are in person with our teachers and we haven’t had a COVID case in our building since early December. That is great news!

During this time we changed some things so everyone could be safe returning to school. We used PVC pipe and plastic wrap to make barriers between students. We had everyone wear masks when we couldn’t be socially distanced. Our janitors worked overtime to deep clean our building. The students and staff handled these changes very well.

Because of these changes we are able to keep our students in school and our teachers teaching. Our students are doing their work and getting the help that they need. Our students are socially active and thriving.

Most, if not all, of the schools in our state of South Dakota, have been in session all year. When faced with a challenge, we lace up our boots and find ways to solve it. We all pitched in to make sure our students were in school and to do it as safely as we possibly could.

Yes, we as teachers were nervous about this unknown virus. Many of my coworkers hadn’t contracted it by the time school started. Once school started, we did have a few teachers out because of the virus, but we all survived.

I feel sad when I hear the news about the schools and students who still (at the time of this post) are not in session and in person. Some of these schools didn’t even do online learning.

Because of this, those students are going to be way behind the other children in America who have been in school. That is going to affect them for many years to come.

Even though this year has been challenging, I am proud of our state and our school for having the fortitude to keep our kids in school. When our kiddos take the state tests, graduate, and head to college or the workplace, they are going to be right where they need to be and not behind.

How are your schools doing? What things have you changed to stay open? If you are still closed, are you still teaching? Is it online? Please comment and let me know how these students are getting the best education they can.