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| Like healthcare workers, they’re on the front line
Letter from the Editor Two of the most riveting stories we’ve published in the past year were about the trauma experienced by healthcare workers who deal with the suffering and death of people who refused to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Reporter Hannah Drown wrote those stories after interviewing the healthcare workers. After she wrote the first one, she heard from others who wanted to tell their stories, too. The second story was the most-read piece on our site the week it published, and I heard from readers who were grateful we printed them.
Now, we’re trying to do the same thing with teachers. Like healthcare workers, they are on the front lines of COVID-19, working faithfully to fulfill the duties of their calling, teaching Northeast Ohio’s children, despite the dangers and stress they face from exposure to the coronavirus.
Reporter Alexis Oatman wants to hear their stories and has put out a call to them.
When our content director, Laura Johnston, proposed this idea, I was ambivalent. One reason is I’ve been married to a teacher for going on 37 years, and I don’t want anyone to think I’m using my position as editor to wage a personal battle on behalf of my wife’s profession. My main reservation, though, is that a lot of workers are on the front lines of COVID. Grocery store cashiers. Restaurant servers. Police, firefighters and paramedics. Just about anyone whose job duties involve dealing with the public. Why teachers?
Laura, the mom of two kids in public elementary school, argued that this is the third school year interrupted by the pandemic and that teachers have faced unprecedented challenges to educate students, all while managing the fear and stress.
“First, they learned how to teach remotely, navigating new technology and building online lessons. Then, they had to deal with hybrid learning, crunching lessons to fit shortened school days and reorganizing classrooms to socially distance kids who can't stop touching and talking to each other. Once everyone returned to school, teachers had to figure out how to help students who had fallen far behind. Now, with the omicron and staffing shortages, they have no substitutes. Teachers are filling in to serve lunch or help kids get off the bus. And every time a kid is out on quarantine, they're responsible for helping catch them up.”
I get it. And like I said, I’m married to a teacher. I’ve seen the stress of the situation every day.
Another reason we want to focus on teachers is that most of us do not see what they are up against. We’re not in the schools. We might be in grocery stores and restaurants. We can see police doing their work. We don’t see how teachers have handled the responsibility of helping thousands of the region’s children. Parents have not been allowed in schools for two years now.
We hope the stories we publish as a result of this endeavor will take readers inside the schools.
We seek educators affected by the pandemic who are willing to share their stories. If you are one or you know someone who has a good story to tell, please get in touch with Alexis at
Thanks for reading.
Chris Quinn Editor and Vice President of Content
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