UEA Educators Going the Extra Mile for Their Students

UTICA, Mich., March 25, 2020 – Utica Education Association (UEA) members may have seen their worlds shift in a matter of weeks, but in what has become commonplace, they have risen to the challenge as the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way they interact with their students.

In addition to working on and learning new online learning platforms for their students, many UEA members have been donating time for food delivery at seven Utica Community School (UCS) locations, and creating and posting videos, blogs and podcasts to help their students, among other activities.

“We’re out there doing these things like passing out meals because there’s an obvious need in the community in these unforeseen times,” said Elaine Ventura, who has been teaching kindergarten at Schwarzkoff Elementary for more than 20 years. “It’s such a good feeling to have even these limited interactions with our school families. To be confined to my home when I can get out and help seemed like such a waste to me.”

The teachers are not required to attend the food distribution efforts and all have volunteered their time to make a difference, including Steve Hulbert, a music teacher at Wiley Elementary in Shelby Township. “We (teachers) have all done this on our own. Those who participate are feeling healthy, practice social distancing and are replacing fear with ‘what can I do to help our kids?’” Hulbert was among the 20 UEA teachers who handed out 2,832 meals at Wiley in two hours on Friday, March 20. “I want to help the kids. There’s so many low income and disadvantaged families that rely on us to provide these meals,” he added. In the bags, Utica Community Schools has provided kids with fruit, vegetables, and a hot lunch to cook at home including nuggets and Bosco sticks.

Those who aren’t passing out food to students are giving them thought provoking videos and podcasts to keep them engaged. “We’ve been texting like crazy and using Remind and any communications tool we can find,” said Jonathan Marceau, an elementary teacher at Monfort Elementary, who has been producing online videos for his students to inform them on the development of online learning tools they’ll be using for the foreseeable future. Other teachers have been keeping connected by also producing educational podcasts.

But to say the sudden, mid-school year adjustment hasn’t been as hard on the teachers as the children would be a drastic understatement. “My emotions come in waves,” said Elaine Ventura, a 24-year teacher at Schwarzkoff Elementary who has been passing out food for the past couple of weeks at her school. “I do well but then I’m hit with extreme sadness. I can’t sleep at night because I’m worried about my students and my own family going through this.”

The rollout of UCS online learning began Monday and will continue through all grade levels this week.