5th Grade Teacher Shares What Her Classroom Will Look Like When Kids Go Back to School in 2 Weeks

We’ve all had it rough the past few months. No matter what your job is, things have changed. You might be working from your dining room table or have to get your temperature checked every time you go to work. You might spend the entire day in a mask and have to stand far away from others. It’s a weird, weird time, to say the least.

One of the occupations that have had it the worst is, arguably, teachers. Unlike many other jobs, teaching remotely is not something that comes very naturally to most educators—especially if they teach young students who might not have the attention spans to sit and pay attention during Zoom calls.

Many districts are still mulling over what to do when it comes to the upcoming school year—continue with remote learning or have students go back to class. One school in Colorado made the decision that students and teachers can go back to school, but only by taking many precautions.

So how does a teacher limit the spread of potential coronavirus-infected students in her classroom? One teacher made a video of how she’s setting up her classroom for her students who go back to school soon. And things are, well, certainly not how it used to be.

Katie O’Connor, who teaches 5th grade (10- and 11-year-olds). started off setting up her classroom by pacing her desks out at least three feet apart from one another so when students are sitting down they’re distanced enough away where they’re less likely to become infected. (There will be no group work allowed.)

In order to get the desks that far apart, she was forced to get rid of other things in her classroom to gain more space.

In addition, everyone in the building must wear a mask at all times. Yes, the entire eight-hour day!

While parents do have the option to choose remote learning, Katie isn’t sure how many will actually do that considering that they need to work as well.

She also acknowledges that remote learning will be more or less the same as in-person since students won’t be able to interact like they used to. Even passing around papers will be a no-no.

To see what her COVID-19-safe classroom looks like, as well as what she predicts this school year will look like, check out her emotional video below.

Can you believe how different this school year will be for so many? What do you think education will look like in the future?