“My biggest challenge of 2020 was becoming more stagnant in all the ways. After the initial excitement of an at-home staycation began to wear off, I became kind of lazy. I always thought if I had free time to do things that I wanted to … Continue reading‘A life of joy can be achieved’
“Scott is a math teacher at Sterling (High School). And being completely honest, with COVID-19 still out there, I’m scared as can be about him being back in school. “I’m having to put way too much trust and faith in other people. Generally, I’m not … Continue reading‘I’m scared as can be about him being back in school’
“I’ve been teaching for 15 years. But nothing I’ve experienced mentally prepared me for what we walked into this spring. “In my classes, we keep up with what’s going on in the world. So we’d been discussing COVID-19 as it affected other countries. At the … Continue readingCoronavirus plays havoc with school routines
“When I heard about the virus in Wuhan, I figured it might be like the swine flu or some kind of avian flu. Where it’s a big thing somewhere else, but not here. But as soon as it came to the United States and started … Continue readingPart of coronavirus quarantine ‘big blur of nothingness’
“As a social worker, I work for a state agency that helps elderly people and adults with intellectual disabilities who are dealing with abuse. In order to see a lot of my clients, I had to go into hospitals while COVID-19 was raging. Some places … Continue readingParents coping with baby born during pandemic
“I did my first play when I was about 5 years old. It was a church Christmas play, and I was the star that led the wise men to baby Jesus. I discovered that I was a big ham, and I couldn’t get enough of … Continue readingCommunity theater haven for ‘weird kid’
“My dad was a Southern Baptist minister and a doomsday prepper. I was raised in Palestine, up in East Texas. We lived in the parsonage next to the church where my dad preached. But he also built a little cabin in the woods, just outside … Continue readingDoomsday prepper dad prepares her for COVID-19
“I have a job offer with a digital marketing company. But it’s kind of up in the air right now. I’m just waiting patiently to see where this pandemic leads us. “The plan was for me to attend a boot camp in Denver with all … Continue readingCoronavirus may impact first post-college job
“I started working at Travis Elementary about six years ago as a substitute teacher. Then they asked if I wanted to do a full-time position. So I began doing that, and then they moved me into the special education department. I’ve been there for three … Continue readingShe has a heart for special education students
(Kurt Grevenberg is a native New Yorker who permanently settled in Baytown in 2015. In this essay, he reflects on the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on his former home, friends and family.) It was late September 2001 in New York City. For the first time in … Continue reading‘I worry if I’ll have to say goodbye to more loved ones’