Lauren Pineda
Back-to-school was always a jokingly haunting phrase that would signify the end of summer, but this year, that phrase is actually pretty terrifying. Per the health guidelines put in place by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), stepping even outside the comfort of your own home requires face masks and social distancing measures, and that’s only if you absolutely have to leave your quarantine. COVID-19 has turned the world upside down, and America’s education system is getting caught right in the middle of it.
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However, one Texas kindergarten teacher has decided to turn the coronavirus pandemic into an opportunity to brighten her classroom, seeing she might as well make the most of what she has to deal with. Jennifer Birch Pierson has done what she can with what is now seen as a frightening place and made it as fun as possible.
Ms. Pierson took the safety measures kids would have to follow and transformed her classroom. On the Facebook Page, “Maybe I’ll Shower Today,” a post dedicated to Ms. Pierson explained how she’s “making lemonade from some very sour lemons and making their classrooms as welcoming and comforting as possible for our littlest learners.”
With classrooms now having required desk shields, Ms. Pierson transformed her classroom desks into colorful trucks. With the plastic shields that serve as the truck’s windshield wipers, the truck desks are complete with wheels, headlights, the works. The students will be ready to start the first day of school in their own trucks, hopefully making the classroom an inviting place for the next school year.
We can only hope that during these difficult times, reopening schools during a global pandemic won’t have severely negative consequences. It’s great to see teachers use our world’s current situation to rebuild the learning atmosphere in a creative way. And hopefully, Ms. Pierson’s little trucks will help smoothen the way this school season will go.
