'I Miss Them So Much:' A Day In The Life Of A Barnegat Teacher

BARNEGAT, NJ — Sarah O'Neill and her colleagues learned March 13 that Barnegat schools would go remote during the novel-coronavirus outbreak.

The email came at about 3:30 p.m. on a Friday, announcing schools would close until further notice. O'Neill, a teacher at Joseph T. Donahue Elementary School, released her 38 students for the weekend shortly before. The fifth-grade math and science teacher didn't know it was the last time she'd see them in person for a while.

"I wanted to run into the parking lot and hug them all," O'Neill said. "Knowing now what I didn’t know then, I wish I had."

Like her students, O'Neill's days have completely changed. She wrote a candid post about the day in the life of a teacher during the quarantine. Here are some highlights.

It Starts at 3 a.m.

O'Neill would like to say her mornings starts at 7:30 a.m., but they begin somewhere around 3 a.m.

"I’m up, worrying about this scary virus, worrying about my children, my family," she said. "Tossing and turning until it is finally 7:30 and I can say."

She gets out of bed at around 7:30 a.m. and takes 30 steps to her new classroom, preparing for the day ahead.

New Jersey Coronavirus Updates: Don't miss local and statewide announcements about novel coronavirus precautions. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters.

'Lots of Hats'

Although O'Neill starts work hours before, she's officially on the clock at 9 a.m. By then, she has already received messages through several platforms: email, ClassDojo Messenger, Google Classroom, text and the occasional phone call.

As she maneuvers Google Classroom, she plays plenty of different roles:

"'Ms. O’Neill, what is my password to Think Central?' IT personnel, 'Ms. O’Neill, my Google Slide won’t present!' Google Educator, 'Ms. O’Neill, I’m afraid of this whole virus, when are we going back to school?' Guidance counselor, 'Ms. O’Neill. Can you help me get my child to sit at the counter and do his work?' Family Therapist, 'Ms. O’Neill, what’s a rhombus?'"

Students work on assignments throughout the day. O'Neill holds a Google meeting with her students at 10:30 a.m. She explains how to set up a Google document, how to navigate through their MulitMedia Text set, how a square can be a rectangle and more.

"Then I let them chat with each other before I kick them out and send them back to their respective classrooms," she said. "And I cry, every time because I miss them so much."

After School

The school day ends at 3 p.m., but that doesn't mean O'Neill's day is over. She spends the next hour grading and updating the online grade book. Then she messages every parent about how their child performed, sending praise and alerting them of assignments missed.

After dinner, O'Neill virtually visits her children. Her son lives only a few blocks away, but she can't visit him.

As the day winds down, O'Neill watches mindless television with her husband, trying to forget about the virus. She zones out knowing she has to make the Jamboard for tomorrow's lesson.

She kisses her dogs and her husband and heads to her "classroom." Then she begins creating presentations, finding assignments and finding energy for tomorrow. Before she knows it, tomorrow arrives.

Read O'Neills full post here.

Click here to get Patch email notifications on this or other local news articles or get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our app. Download here. Follow Barnegat-Manahawkin Patch on Facebook. Have a news tip? Email josh.bakan@patch.com.