Return To Normal
In 2021, Robin Hawkins Johnson’s daughter completed kindergarten.
For the first time in two years, schools in major metropolitan areas may truly be headed back to normal. The 2022-2023 school year is the first time since 2019 that students will be able to go to class without a mask or social distancing requirements. Parents in DC are excited for the return but wary of what the new school year may bring.
The 2021-2022 school year brought unpredictable classroom quarantines for positive test results and, in some cases, school closures. The burden of responsibility for healthcare, education and so much more fell to parents. It also brought flashbacks of when the pandemic began for the region in March 2020 and placed working parents in untenable situations with working mothers bearing the brunt of responsibility for virtual learning and childcare.
Robin Hawkins Johnson, a 37-year-old mother of one, remembers the pressures she faced as a full-time employee and her daughter’s new teacher. Johnson and her husband worked from home but it was Johnson who led homeschooling.
Her husband’s role offered less flexibility than her own at the time.
“I found myself writing weeklong lesson plans to keep her entertained and hitting her developmental milestones,” said Johnson who worked in early childhood education for six years before transitioning into a career in public health. Her daughter was in pre- kindergarten when the pandemic closed childcare centers and schools in DC. With all the planning, there still was not enough time for Johnson to work, teach and live how she had before the pandemic.
“I broke down on [Microsoft] Teams,” recalled Johnson of a work day where it was all too much to bear. She changed positions shortly after to a role that offered the flexibility she needed without compromising her income or her ability to care for her daughter.
Johnson’s daughter, Cori, started first grade in August at DC Public Schools and the transition back to class offers a new set of concerns for the family. DC Public Schools has taken a layered approach to their health and safety measures. While masks have been made optional for the 2022-2023 school year, students and teachers were required to provide a negative test on the first day of school. The school system is also continuing its investments in HVAC systems that improve ventilation in schools, state-of-the-art HEPA filters in classrooms and quality air sensors throughout school campuses.
“It has been challenging trying to get back into a schedule and trying to stick to a schedule. This is the first year everyone is out of the house,” said Johnson. To make sure everyone is ready to go, she wakes up between 4:30 and 5 a.m. to pack lunch, iron uniforms and get herself dressed.
While masks are now optional in local schools, Johnson keeps a watchful eye on her daughter’s health and has built a network of help. Should schools close again or an outbreak happen in Cori's class, Johnson has two retired teachers she can lean on for support with tutoring her now six-year-old daughter and keep her up to speed in school.
“There’s only so much ‘keeping her in the house’ I can do, said Johnson.
Shani-ola Arowolaju, a 38-year-old mother of three, is excited to see her children return to class in DC’s Public Charter Schools. “I’m so glad they’re back in school. It was very stressful [homeschooling and working during COVID] but it got better with time because we all adjusted,” said Arowolaju.
Like many families, Arowolaju conducted homeschool from her dining room table when schools closed. By the next school year, the family adjusted to virtual learning well enough for her then 11, 9 and 5-year-old to study independently while she worked from home and her husband went to work outside of the home.
In August, her children started school with less restrictions.
During the 2021-2022 school year, masks were required and so was testing. Local schools were encouraging students and parents to get the vaccine. The urgency and frequent communication between schools and parents eased Arowolaju’s concerns for her children’s health. “I felt like the schools were doing everything they could,” recalled Arowolaju.
This year, her children’s charter school tests students monthly instead of weekly for the virus.
“I’m totally fine with them being back in school. My heightened sense [of concern] now is that masks are optional,” said Arowolaju. She and her husband contracted the virus in December 2020. Her husband had to be hospitalized. They made a full recovery but the severity of the virus is well known to them.