FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — This year has been quite a learning curve for both teachers and students during the pandemic. 11Alive has been following Fulton County's Teacher of the Year, Kelsey Drews, since classes started in August.
Just recently, unexpected adjustments came to the Heritage Elementary school teacher, due to a rise in COVID-19 cases.
"We've had a lot of COVID cases in the area in the past month, so part of Fulton County mitigation process was to change up how we do lunch and breakfast. They've been eating in the classroom with us, instead of the cafeteria," said Ms. Drews. "Its supposed to be so that they're more contained."
While her third graders said they prefer having lunch in the classroom because its quieter than the cafeteria, Drews said those 30 minutes can be crucial to recharge after a long day.
"Eating in the classroom -- I literally spent six hours straight with them. It drains your battery too empty," she said.
Drews said she has an average of seven kids who are absent each day, and adds that it can be difficult to keep up with the ongoing changes.
"It's not the same every day like we thought it would be - we thought it would be less chaos and more routine, but it's still on a day-to-day basis, you never know what you're going to get or what to expect," she said.
Staff shortages aren't helping fill her 'battery' up, either. She said that has exhausted everyone even further.
"It's just been grueling – we don't have enough bus drivers, we don't have enough cafeteria workers, we don't have enough custodians, we definitely don't have enough teachers, and getting a sub is asking for a miracle," she said. "It's been a very difficult month. We're exhausted."
To read the journal Drews has put together, click here.
