The brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic has been hitting people where it hurts. Many people have lost their jobs. Other people’s jobs have gotten more intense and stressful. No one seems to know quite when their lives will return to normal. Maybe you’ve got a big expense coming up, and you don’t know if you’ll be able to afford it. And who knows when it’ll be safe to reschedule that upcoming family vacation?
But what about our young people? We often talk about the graduating class of 2020 and the unique challenge facing them in these precedented times, but younger students have been thrown a curveball too. It hasn’t been easy for anyone to cope with what’s going on.
Over the course of the last few weeks, Grade Six students at Niverville Middle School have been processing their feelings in a unique way. A trio of middle school teachers—Lynn Albig, Tammy Peters, and Kelley Heintz—have encouraged their students to express themselves through letters.
The recipient of these letters? Covid itself.
“The goal of the writing assignment was to give students an opportunity to reflect on a truly unique experience,” the teachers say. “Using a bit of humour to express their frustrations, their discoveries, and their hopes for the future. Also to create a primary source for what will surely be a significant part of history.”
Along with the letters, each student was to provide a photo which depicted what the students most valued or depended on during the pandemic.
In coming up with the assignment, Albig, Peters, and Heintz were inspired by Libby Beaty, a teacher in Korea.
“[Beaty wanted] her students to showcase items that have been important to them during home learning, and then [she] shared them on Twitter,” they explain. “This assignment was also based on the work of photographer and artist Gregg Segal. His series of photos was entitled ‘Daily Bread’ and showed what children around the world ate in a week.”
In the letters, it came as no surprise to the teachers that their students missed their social groups, their seasonal traditions and activities, and in many cases even school itself. On the flip side of all the disappointment of lost opportunities, many students wrote that they appreciated the extra time with their families—and the chance to slow down a bit.
“We as teachers did write our own letters as well. Our message carried a lot of the same points as our students. We miss being together in our building, and we long for time together with our loved ones. But also that this too shall pass, and COVID-19 wouldn’t keep us down forever. We look forward to really appreciating some of the things we have taken for granted.”
The teachers have also been reflecting on the various ways in which people in their profession have been forced to reimagine their jobs and reinvent how they do things.
“Challenging is a good word for it, but it has also been a learning experience and an opportunity for growth,” they say. “Our school came together as a strong team, determined to provide the best learning experience possible for our students. It pushed us to think creatively about how we could reach our students, stay connected with them, and to focus on what was most important. We do, however, very much look forward to being back together in the same building with our students soon!”
To honour our local young people, The Citizen will be publishing many of these Dear Covid letters throughout the month of June. In previous articles related to the pandemic, we’ve told all sorts of stories of adults and their time in isolation. Now it’s time to add some new voices to the public record.
Emmah Dusk Koslowsky
Dear COVID-19,
It’s been a long journey getting to know you but I think that I’m ready to go back to normal.
COVID-19, I don’t want to stay at home anymore. I want to see my cousins again, I want to go to school, I want to see my teacher, I want to go to Winkler Bible Camp, I want to go to friends houses for sleepovers, I want to play soccer, I want to go to VBS to help with the kids, I want to have big family gatherings, I want to go to the Niverville Fair and the Red River Ex. But I can’t, because of you!
I am mad at you for taking away all of the stuff that I was looking forward to. I am also mad at you for taking away so many lives and vacations. You made people scared to be by other people, other than their families, and to go out of their houses.
COVID-19, I do like how you got me to spend more time with my family and how you made Ten Thousand Villages give 80% off most of their stuff, you also made my grandmas come to my house multiple times with cookies and buns. We also got a lot of free stuff, like oil changes, sandwiches and coffee because my dad is a front line worker, he is a nurse and the best dad ever! When my dad goes shopping at SuperStore he gets to skip the line.
I really wanted to go to Winkler Bible Camp and to VBS and to go play soccer but I can’t, maybe it’s for a good reason. Maybe my family and I will do something really fun other than going to the Red River Ex and camp.
Well COVID-19, that is all I have to say to you, for now. Maybe you will stick around for a couple more months. (Not that I want you to).
Erik Hunter
Dear COVID-19,
I don’t really like you because you are killing a bunch of people. What did we do to you? Well I mean a guy did try to sell an exotic animal in a market and you did your part protecting the animal and yourself. But do you really have to kill more people?
The good thing is that you do get me to play with my family and help me focus better on my school work. I do not have people talking and bugging me when I am trying to do my work like I do at school.
The bad thing about you being around is that I don’t get to play with my friends. I want to play with my class and see my family and give hugs but you took that away. I want to have birthday parties with my friends, play at the park and most importantly see my Nana. She means a lot to my family. We spend as much time with her as we can. I also want to see my cousins and play together outside. I also miss hugging my family when we see each other.
COVID when you are gone we are going to have the biggest party in the world! I am not going to play video games as often as I am now and I will be more creative with projects and have more activities to do at home with my family. I really want people to stop dying and getting really sick because it is so sad for other families and nobody can be with the people they love when they are sick or dying.
COVID you need to stop making people sick and making people die. You are making so many people sad and angry. I want you to go away forever so people can be happy again. I also want people to feel happy that you are gone so that they can be less worried and scared.
Hudson Sakwi
Dear COVID,
I do not like you. You took away my school. I was not able to see my friends. I miss them. Hey Covid, you are so awkward. Please go away. Love, Hudson.
Kira Kozakowski
Dear COVID-19,
You really suck! I miss my teachers, friends, classroom and even my desk. I really miss my teacher because she is really nice and funny! I miss my friends because they were fun to be around and kind! When I first heard school was out I was so excited but now I miss going to school. I also miss the after school activities because I got to see my friends even longer :) I also miss my classmates.
I can’t believe I missed so much stuff not just at school but outside of school especially my trip to Orlando. I was really looking forward to that!! Oh and track and field I really wanted to do that but I can’t because of YOU, Covid-19. I really miss hanging out with friends!
When school is back on I will get up earlier and be excited to go to school and see all my friends and teachers! I will even participate more in school and do more things!
COVID-19 Go away you have cancelled so much in my life and i don’t like it! And stop making people sick! So please go away!!!