What Education Looked Like in 2020
Teaching Profession Photos

What Education Looked Like in 2020

By Jaclyn Borowski — December 31, 2020 1 min read
On Sept. 24, 2020, distance learners are seen on a laptop held by teacher Kristen Giuliano who assists student Jane Wood, 11, in a seventh-grade social studies class at Dodd Middle School in Cheshire, Conn. Many schools around the state have closed temporarily during the school year because of students or staff testing positive for COVID-19. Within the first week of November 2020, nearly 700 students and more than 300 school staff around Connecticut tested positive, according to the state Department of Public Health.
Teacher Kristen Giuliano assists Jane Wood, 11, during a 7th grade social studies class in September at Dodd Middle School in Cheshire, Conn., while other students join the class remotely from home.
Dave Zajac/Record-Journal via AP
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Copy URL

It started like any other year. At Education Week, our photographers spent January largely focused on capturing the work of our 2020 crop of Leaders to Learn From in their school communities. But looking back across the entire year, the photos that stood out in January, are not the ones that seem noteworthy now. In hindsight, it’s the personal interactions, the shared moments (and shared school supplies), the groups of students working together that look unique, contrasted with what was to come. Join us in a look back at what education really looked like in the United States over the twelve months of 2020.

JANUARY
Jana Beth Francis, center, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching & Learning for Daviess County Schools, discusses a science project with Elias Cook, left, and other fourth grade students at Burn Elementary in Owensboro, Kentucky on Jan. 23, 2020.
Jana Beth Francis, center, the assistant superintendent of teaching and learning for Daviess County Schools, discusses a science project with Elias Cook, left, and other 4th grade students at Burn Elementary in Owensboro, Ky.
Pat McDonogh for Education Week
Students gather in a hallway at Rose F. Baldwin Elementary School in Baldwin, N.Y., on Jan. 13, 2020.
Students gather in a hallway at Rose F. Baldwin Elementary School in Baldwin, N.Y.
Michael Kirby Smith for Education Week
Nellie Aspel, Executive Director of Exceptional Children for Cleveland County Schools in Shelby, N.C., hugs fourth-grader Ty McDowell in the Therapeutic Support and Intervention Class at James Love Elementary School on Jan. 23, 2020.
Nellie Aspel, the executive director of exceptional children for Cleveland County Schools in Shelby, N.C., hugs 4th grader Ty McDowell in the Therapeutic Support and Intervention class at James Love Elementary School.
Swikar Patel for Education Week

FEBRUARY
Seniors Jazmine Duff, 18, right, and India Willis, 17, left, look over a document as they wait in line to vote early with other students from Walter Hines Page High School at the Bur-Mill Park Clubhouse polling station in Greensboro, N.C., on Feb. 28, 2020. Guilford County schools offer students a chance to vote for credit in their civics courses and busses them to the polls to register and vote in North Carolina's early voting period ahead of Super Tuesday. North Carolina allows 17-year-olds to vote in the primary if they will be 18 by election day in November.
Seniors Jazmine Duff, 18, right, and India Willis, 17, left, look over a document as they wait to vote early with other students from Walter Hines Page High School at a polling station in Greensboro, N.C. Guilford County schools offered students a chance to vote for credit in their civics courses and bused them to the polls during North Carolina's early voting period ahead of Super Tuesday.
Eamon Queeney for Education Week
Third-graders start an art lesson at Centerville Elementary School on Feb. 14, 2020 in Virginia Beach, Va.
Third graders start an art lesson at Centerville Elementary School in Virginia Beach, Va.
Julia Rendleman for Education Week
Deluxe Badesi (left), Jima Munanga, and Oliver Alimasi play back tracks of music they created at Electro Hiphop class in the tech center at Burlington High School on Feb. 19, 2020 in Burlington, Vt.
Deluxe Badesi (far left), Jima Munanga, and Oliver Alimasi listen to the tracks of music they created in their Electro Hiphop class in the tech center at Burlington High School in Vermont.
Brian Jenkins for Education Week

MARCH
Sara Black, a teacher at Glen Lea Elementary School in Henrico County near Richmond, Va., hugs a student goodbye on Friday, March 13, 2020. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Friday ordered all schools in Virginia to close for at least two weeks as the coronavirus spreads, a move that follows similar orders in several other states.
Sara Black, a teacher at Glen Lea Elementary School in Henrico County near Richmond, Va., hugs a student goodbye. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on March 13 ordered all schools in Virginia to close for at least two weeks as the coronavirus spread, a move that followed similar orders in other states.
Joe Mahoney/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP
Discovery Elementary School in the Mukilteo School District in Washington, seen on March 2, 2020, is closed due to coronavirus concerns.
Discovery Elementary School in the Mukilteo school district in Washington was closed on March 2 because of coronavirus concerns.
Mike Siegel/The Seattle Times/TNS
The Auburn fan section got creative by placing paper plate faces on the seats during the Class 1C boys high school basketball tournament championship game against Ogallala at Pinnacle Bank Arena on March 14, 2020, in Lincoln, Neb. Crowds were limited to staff and immediate family due to concerns over the coronavirus.
The seats in the fan section are populated with paper plate faces during the Class 1C boys' high school basketball tournament championship game at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb. Crowds were limited to staff and immediate family to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Chris Machian/Omaha World-Herald via AP
Cafeteria worker Debra Thompson pushes a cart full of food to distribute a free lunch to the students and community at Dillard High School amid the virus outbreak and school closings on March 16, 2020, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Cafeteria worker Debra Thompson pushes a cart full of food to distribute a free lunch to the students and community at Dillard High School amid the virus outbreak and school closings in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Brynn Anderson/AP
Desmond Peskowitz, 7, of Takoma Park, Md., pours a stream of water on his head from his boot, March 17, 2020, as he plays a game he called "champagne fight," inspired by Formula 1 Racing, with his mother Kathleen Caulfield, and sister Erin Peskowitz, 4, in Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C.. Desmond's school is closed due to coronavirus precautions, and his mother said the park was their "PE class" today. "I don't worry as much about germs when they're outside," says Caulfield, "the touching seems to be less when kids play outdoors."
Desmond Peskowitz, 7, of Takoma Park, Md., pours water on his head from his boot, as he plays a game he called "champagne fight," inspired by Formula 1 racing, with his mother Kathleen Caulfield, and sister Erin Peskowitz, 4, in Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C. Desmond's school was closed due to coronavirus precautions, and his mother said the park was their "P.E. class" for the day.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP

APRIL
A reminder for people to wash their hands is displayed on a sign outside Theodore Judah Elementary School in Sacramento, Calif., on April 1, 2020. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that California schools will likely remain closed for the rest of the school year, but provide off-site education due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A sign outside Theodore Judah Elementary School in Sacramento, Calif., reminds passers by to wash their hands. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on April 1 that California schools will likely remain closed for the rest of the school year during the coronavirus pandemic.
Rich Pedroncelli/AP
In this photo from April 13, 2020, Nancy Quillen, 13, interacts with Rene Ford, right, principal of McCarthy Teszler School, at her home in Spartanburg, S.C. Special education students are dealing with the challenges of learning from home as teachers work with parents who are trying to recreate the level of assistance and stimulation their children receive at school in their homes.
Nancy Quillen, 13, interacts with Rene Ford, right, the principal of McCarthy Teszler School, at her home in Spartanburg, S.C. Special education students are dealing with the challenges of learning from home as teachers work to help parents recreate the assistance and stimulation that their children would normally receive at school.
Tim Kimzey/Spartanburg Herald-Journal via AP
A school bus moves up Rock Door Canyon Rd., in Oljato-Monument Valley, Utah, on the Navajo reservation on April 27, 2020. The Navajo reservation has some of the highest rates of coronavirus in the country. If Navajos are susceptible to the virus' spread in part because they are so closely knit, that's also how many believe they will beat it.
A school bus moves up Rock Door Canyon Rd., in Oljato-Monument Valley, Utah, on the Navajo reservation. The reservation has some of the highest rates of coronavirus in the country.
Carolyn Kaster/AP
Amy Pollington, a kindergarten teacher, virtually meets with her students at her home in Renton, Wash., on April 21, 2020.
Amy Pollington, a kindergarten teacher, leads a virtual class with her students from her home in Renton, Wash.
Jovelle Tamayo for Education Week
Bella Johnson, a sixth-grade student at Westmore Elementary School in Orem, Utah, jumps in a gorilla suit while her sister, Hannah Johnson, holds a sign for teachers as they parade around Alpine School District neighborhoods to show support for their students on April 13, 2020.
Bella Johnson, a 6th grade student at Westmore Elementary School in Orem, Utah, jumps while wearing a gorilla suit while her sister, Hannah Johnson, holds a sign as teachers from the school parade through Alpine school district neighborhoods to show support for their students. The school moved to remote learning weeks earlier as the coronavirus pandemic set in.
Ivy Ceballo/The Deseret News via AP

MAY
Principal and District Superintendent Bonnie Lower takes the temperature of a student at Willow Creek School as the school reopened on May 7, 2020, in Willow Creek, Mont. The school opened its doors to a couple dozen students to finish out the final two and a half weeks of the school year.
Principal and District Superintendent Bonnie Lower takes a student's temperature at Willow Creek School as the school reopened on May 7, in Willow Creek, Mont. A couple dozen students came to finish out the final two and a half weeks of the school year.
Ryan Berry/Bozeman Daily Chronicle via AP
Grayson Hodgman, 6, a kindergartner at Hinsdale Elementary School, in Hinsdale, N.H., puts hearts up on the window at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, in Brattleboro, Vt., as a nurse watches through the window on May 8, 2020. The hearts were part of a class project that required the students to hang up hearts in a visible area for essential workers to see.
Grayson Hodgman, 6, a kindergartner at Hinsdale Elementary School, in Hinsdale, N.H., affixes hearts to a window at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, in Brattleboro, Vt., as a nurse watches through the glass. The hearts were part of a class project that required students to hang up hearts where essential workers could see them.
Kristopher Radder/Brattleboro Reformer via AP
Third grade teacher Liz Magnuson takes one last look at her empty classroom at Rosa Parks Elementary in Sioux Falls, S.D., on May 15, 2020 before leaving for the summer.
Third grade teacher Liz Magnuson takes one last look at her empty classroom at Rosa Parks Elementary in Sioux Falls, S.D., before leaving for the summer.
Erin Bormett/The Argus Leader via AP
Alayshia Baggett, left, hands out homemade face masks as she rides with a graduation cap and tassel on her car May 12, 2020, during a drive-up car parade to distribute caps and gowns to seniors graduating from the Tacoma School District's School of the Arts High School, which has been conducting classes online due to the coronavirus pandemic. All high schools in the district will hold virtual graduation ceremonies, so the event, which required students to stay in their cars, allowed them to be greeted by cheering teachers and administrators one more time before graduation.
Alayshia Baggett, left, hands out homemade face masks as she rides with a graduation cap and tassel on her car during a car parade to distribute caps and gowns to seniors graduating from the Tacoma school district's School of the Arts High School, which has been conducting its classes online. The event allowed students to be greeted by cheering teachers and administrators one more time before graduation.
Ted S. Warren/AP
Hundreds of people gather at the Dwight Pete Mitchell Center, in downtown Benton Harbor, Mich., on May 31, 2020, for a peaceful protest over police brutality and the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.
Hundreds of people gather at the Dwight Pete Mitchell Center, in downtown Benton Harbor, Mich., for a peaceful protest over police brutality and the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.
Don Campbell/The Herald-Palladium via AP

JUNE
Graduating seniors Shamar Poole, 17, left; Amier Hatcher, 17, center; and Fendi Garth, 18, stand with their fists raised in the air in solidarity alongside the school's rock painted "BLM" for Black Lives Matter at Grand Blanc High School on June 4, 2020, before their commencement ceremony in Mundy Township, Mich. The trio stood together to honor George Floyd, urge an end to racial injustices and police violence.
Graduating seniors Shamar Poole, 17, left, Amier Hatcher, 17, center; and Fendi Garth, 18, express their solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement alongside the school's rock, painted "BLM" for the movement, at Grand Blanc High School in Mundy Township, Mich.
Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP
Demonstrators shout slogans June 9, 2020, in Culver City, Calif., during a student-led protest over the death of George Floyd who died May 25 after he was restrained by Minneapolis police.
Young demonstrators shout slogans in Culver City, Calif., during a student-led protest over the death of George Floyd who died May 25 after he was restrained by Minneapolis police.
Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP
Protestors rally against the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in New York City. Floyd's death was captured in video that went viral.
Protestors in New York City rally against the death of George Floyd. Floyd's death during a police arrest was captured in video that went viral.
John Nacion/STAR MAX/IPx 2020
Jaylen Lee, 4, rides his scooter and looks at signs hanging on a police fence at 16th and H Street on June 9, 2020, with his mother, near the White House in Washington D.C., after days of protests over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis.
Jaylen Lee, 4, rides his scooter past protest signs hanging on a police fence near the White House in Washington D.C., after days of protests over George Floyd's death.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Brian Gardener, left, wears his middle school graduation cap and gown as he kneels with demonstrators in remembrance of George Floyd on June 13, 2020, near the White House in Washington, D.C..
Brian Gardener, left, wears his middle school graduation cap and gown as he kneels with demonstrators in remembrance of George Floyd near the White House in Washington, D.C.
Patrick Semansky/AP

JULY
Marilyn Linares, a bus driver with the Montgomery County School District, helps load a bus with bags of food to be donated to residents on July 10, 2020, in Derwood, Md.
Marilyn Linares, a bus driver with the Montgomery County school district, helps load a bus with bags of food to be donated to residents in Derwood, Md.
Julio Cortez/AP
John Ross and his son, David, talk about their concerns for school reopening in the fall in light of the coronavirus pandemic and the way their limited internet access will hinder home instruction, in Beattyville, Ky., on July 29, 2020. “They’re going to have their education,” the father of three said of his determination to get his children back to school after they struggled to do their work this spring over a spotty cellphone connection.
John Ross and his son, David, talk about their concerns about reopening schools in the fall and how their limited internet access could hinder home instruction, in Beattyville, Ky. “They’re going to have their education,” the father of three said of his determination to get his children back to school.
Bryan Woolston/AP
Protesters in the "Million Unmasked March" try to overshadow a counter protest across the street from the Illinois State Capitol, on July 25, 2020, in Springfield, Ill. The protesters gathered in front of the Abraham Lincoln Statue to voice their opposition to guidelines that children be required to wear face masks when they return to school during the coronavirus pandemic.
Protesters in the "Million Unmasked March" try to overshadow a counter protest across the street from the Illinois State Capitol, on July 25, 2020, in Springfield, Ill. The protesters voiced their opposition to guidelines that children be required to wear face masks when they return to school during the coronavirus pandemic.
Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register via AP
Corinth Elementary School students have their temperature checked by a thermal scanner as they arrive for their first day back to school on July 27, 2020 in Corinth, Miss.
Corinth Elementary School students have their temperature checked by a thermal scanner as they arrive for their first day back to school in Corinth, Miss.
Adam Robison/The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal via AP
In this Aug. 6, 2020 photo, Diane Floyd, a seventh grade math teacher at Guntown Middle School, goes over the daily schedule and bell times with her new students on their first day back to school for the Lee County District in Guntown, Miss. As schools reopen around the country, their ability to quickly identify and contain coronavirus outbreaks before they get out of hand is about to be put to the test.
Diane Floyd, a 7th grade math teacher at Guntown Middle School, goes over the daily schedule and bell times with her students on their first day back to school for the Lee County district in Guntown, Miss.
Adam Robison/The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal via AP

AUGUST
Spencer Hollers works to equip Southside Independent School District buses with wifi on Aug. 13, 2020, in San Antonio, Texas. Southside will begin the year with remote teaching and will place the wifi-equipped buses around the school district to help students without access to the internet.
Spencer Hollers works to equip Southside Independent School District buses with Wi-Fi in San Antonio, Texas. Southside began the year with remote teaching and placed the Wi-Fi-equipped buses around the district to help students without access to the internet.
Eric Gay/AP
A coalition of teachers, students, and families protest during a rally called National Day of Resistance Against Unsafe School Reopening on Aug. 3, 2020, in New York City. Organizers said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio, Chancellor Richard Carranza, and the Department of Education must stop the in-person reopening of schools until it is safe for all.
A coalition of teachers, students, and families protest during a rally called National Day of Resistance Against Unsafe School Reopening in New York City. Organizers called on New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio, Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza, and others to stop the in-person reopening of schools until it is safe for all.
Bebeto Matthews/AP
Israel, 5, front, wears a face shield over his mask in a Kindergarten classroom, where students are seated at a social distance and a student is tuning in via Zoom on the first day of school at Hillel Academy in Tampa, Fla., on August 12, 2020. The school's faculty planned a ''Wizard of Oz'' themed welcome to ease students into the new precautions in place amid the coronavirus pandemic. Students had their temperatures checked and were asked to wear masks and apply hand sanitizer before entering the school.
Israel, 5, seated in front, wears a face shield over his mask in a kindergarten classroom where students are placed at safe social distances at Hillel Academy in Tampa, Fla. One student tuned into class via Zoom. The school's faculty planned a ''Wizard of Oz'' themed welcome to ease students into the new precautions in place amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Ivy Ceballo/Tampa Bay Times via ZUMA Wire

SEPTEMBER
Students wear protective masks as they arrive for classes at the Immaculate Conception School while observing coronavirus prevention protocols on Sept. 9, 2020, in New York City.
Students wear protective masks to guard against the coronavirus as they arrive for classes at the Immaculate Conception School in New York City.
John Minchillo/AP
Demonstrators arrive at the Governor's Mansion to protest the cancellation of fall and winter extracurriculars on Sept. 7, 2020, in Des Moines, Iowa. All in-person activities were suspended this month as the district's classroom instruction remains virtual.
Demonstrators arrive at the Governor's mansion to protest the cancellation of fall and winter extracurricular activities in Des Moines, Iowa. All in-person activities were suspended while virtual classroom instruction remained in place.
Olivia Sun/The Des Moines Register via AP
Helina Thorp, right, 14, expresses frustration while unsuccessfully trying to log in to her school distance-learning classes while her mother, Virginia Thorp, attempts to call school officials from a Pacific Gas & Electric community resource center at the El Dorado Fairgrounds during a Public Safety Power Shutoff in Placerville, Calif., on Sept. 8, 2020. People in nearly 172,000 homes and businesses in parts of California were sweltering Tuesday without electricity as Pacific Gas & Electric intentionally shut off power to prevent wildfires amid high winds.
Helina Thorp, 14, at right, expresses frustration as she tries to log in to her school distance-learning classes while her mother, Virginia Thorp, attempts to call school officials for help at a Pacific Gas & Electric community resource center during a Public Safety Power Shutoff in Placerville, Calif. The company shut off power to 172,000 homes and businesses to prevent wildfires amid high winds.
Daniel Kim/The Sacramento Bee via AP
Jemma Malkasian teaches a virtual music class at Norristown Area High School, in Norristown, Pa., on Sept, 3, 2020. Malkasian stood in front of her laptop and waved her arms, exhorting her orchestra students to act out "presto," the musical notation meaning "very quickly." "I don't see anyone moving," she said. Her connection was glitchy, and the students kept freezing on screen.
Jemma Malkasian teaches a virtual music class at Norristown Area High School, in Norristown, Pa. Malkasian stood in front of her laptop and waved her arms, exhorting her orchestra students to act out "presto," the musical notation meaning "very quickly." "I don't see anyone moving," she said. Her connection was glitchy, and the students kept freezing on screen.
Michael Rubinkam/AP
Distance learners are seen on a laptop held by teacher Kristen Giuliano who assists student Jane Wood, 11, in a seventh-grade social studies class at Dodd Middle School in Cheshire, Conn on Sept. 24, 2020. Many schools around the state have closed temporarily during the school year because of students or staff testing positive for the coronavirus.
Teacher Kristen Giuliano assists student Jane Wood, 11, in a 7 grade social studies class at Dodd Middle School in Cheshire, Conn. Distance learners look on from their homes. Many schools around the state closed temporarily during the school year because of students or staff testing positive for the coronavirus.
Dave Zajac/Record-Journal via AP

OCTOBER
Social worker Victoria Dominguez, background right, delivers supplies she collected at Cuba High School, along a rural school bus route outside Cuba, N.M., on Oct. 19, 2020. The switch to remote learning in rural New Mexico has left some students profoundly isolated — cut off from others and the grid by sheer distance. The school system is sending school buses to students’ far-flung homes to bring them assignments, meals and a little human contact.
Social worker Victoria Dominguez, background right, delivers supplies she collected at Cuba High School in Cuba, N.M. The switch to remote learning in rural New Mexico left some students profoundly isolated — cut off from others and the grid by sheer distance. The school buses delivered assignments, meals, and a little human contact.
Cedar Attanasio/AP
Teacher Sherisa Nailor helps Parker Drawbaugh and Jacob Knouse in their Small Animal Science class at Big Spring High School in Newville, Pa. With the school operating in a hybrid system, teachers work to make their in-person lessons as hands-on and interactive as possible.
Teacher Sherisa Nailor helps Parker Drawbaugh and Jacob Knouse in their Small Animal Science class at Big Spring High School in Newville, Pa. With the school operating in a hybrid system, teachers work to make their in-person lessons as hands-on and interactive as possible.
Sean Simmers for Education Week
Alondra Gonzales, 4, and Matthew Ramirez, 4, carry their meals in a small wagon back to their house in Concord, Calif. on Oct. 21, 2020. In an effort to reach more members of their community that are in need of food assistance, Mt. Diablo Unified School District has begun a School Bus Meal Distribution plan in which school bus drivers are taking upwards of 75 meals and delivering them to the community along designated routes. The hope is that this new plan will help families who were previously unable to get access to the schools to pick up meals for their children. Currently the program is giving out approximately 7,000 meals a week to families in the community.
Alondra Gonzales, 4, and Matthew Ramirez, 4, carry their meals in a small wagon back to their house in Concord, Calif. The Mt. Diablo Unified School District began utilizing school bus drivers to take meals to the community along designated routes in order to help families who were previously unable to get access to the schools to pick up meals for their children. The program as the time was giving out approximately 7,000 meals a week to families.
Brittany Hosea-Small for Education Week

NOVEMBER
Emma Wasiloski, 13, right, an eighth-grader at North Heights Christian Academy who plays for Concordia Academy's C volleyball team, cries in the arms of her mother, MaryBeth Wasiloski, after hearing the news that the volleyball season would be paused by the governor's orders on Nov. 18, 2020, in Roseville, Minn. "I don't know what I'm going to look forward to," said Emma. "Because school isn't fun anymore."
Emma Wasiloski, 13, right, an 8th grader at North Heights Christian Academy who plays for Concordia Academy's C volleyball team in Roseville, Minn., cries in the arms of her mother, MaryBeth Wasiloski, after hearing that the volleyball season would be paused by the governor's November 18 orders. "I don't know what I'm going to look forward to," said Emma. "Because school isn't fun anymore."
Leila Navidi/Star Tribune via AP
A student demonstrates during a rally to call on New York Mayor Bill de Blasio to keep schools open on Nov. 14, 2020, in New York. Students, parents and teachers continued anxiously watching New York City's coronavirus test results as the latest figures fell under the city's threshold for shutting down school buildings, but Mayor Bill de Blasio warned that the city was at a "crucial" point in fighting the virus' resurgence.
A student demonstrates during a rally calling on New York Mayor Bill de Blasio to keep schools open. Students, parents, and teachers anxiously watched New York City's coronavirus test results as the figures fell under the city's threshold for shutting down school buildings, but Mayor Bill de Blasio warned that the city was at a "crucial" point in fighting the virus' resurgence.
Mary Altaffer/AP
Students from Hesston Middle School hold class at the Cross Winds Convention Center in Hesston, Kan., on Nov. 6, 2020. In ordinary times, the convention center hosts weddings, corporate retreats and church events. During the pandemic, it has become a schoolhouse for the district's seventh and eighth-graders.
Students from Hesston Middle School hold class at the Cross Winds Convention Center in Hesston, Kan. During the pandemic, the center has become a schoolhouse for the district's 7th and 8th graders.
Orlin Wagner/AP

DECEMBER
In this Monday, Dec. 8, 2020 photo, a fourth-grade class uses upside-down buckets for seats as they study outside at the Gerald Talbot School, in Portland, Maine. The outdoors is considered to be the healthiest, safest place for kids during the pandemic.
Fourth graders use overturned buckets for seats during class outside the Gerald Talbot School, in Portland, Maine. The outdoors is considered to be the healthiest, safest place for kids during the pandemic.
Robert F. Bukaty/AP
Penny Cracas, right, with the Chester County, Pa., Health Department, administers the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to Robert Dando, a school nurse, at the Chester County Government Services Center on Dec. 29, 2020, in West Chester, Pa.
Penny Cracas, right, with the Chester County, Pa., Health Department, administers the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to Robert Dando, a school nurse, at the Chester County Government Services Center in West Chester, Pa.
Matt Slocum/AP
Danielle Myers leads her fourth grade class in a mindfulness exercise at the Milton Hershey School in Hershey, Pa., on Dec. 2, 2020. The private boarding school has implemented daily in-classroom “mindfulness” breaks where teachers and students, led by the school’s psychology staff, participate in social/emotional learning lessons to boost teacher morale and address the challenges of pandemic life.
Danielle Myers leads her 4th grade class in a mindfulness exercise at the Milton Hershey School in Hershey, Pa. The private boarding school has implemented daily, in-classroom “mindfulness” breaks where teachers and students, led by the school’s psychology staff, participate in social/emotional learning lessons to boost teacher morale and address the challenges of pandemic life.
Sean Simmers for Education Week

Jaclyn Borowski
Director of Photography & Videography,  Education Week
Jaclyn Borowski is the director of photography and videography for Education Week.
Related Tags:
Coronavirus

A version of this article first appeared in the Full Frame blog.

Events

Fri., December 06, 2024, 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. ET
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?
Register
Mon., December 09, 2024, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar Teaching Students to Use Artificial Intelligence Ethically
Ready to embrace AI in your classroom? Join our master class to learn how to use AI as a tool for learning, not a replacement.
Content provided by Solution Tree
Register
Tue., December 10, 2024, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Teaching Webinar Empowering Students Using Computational Thinking Skills
Empower your students with computational thinking. Learn how to integrate these skills into your teaching and boost student engagement.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way
Register
See More Events

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs
Create Your Own Job Search

Read Next

Teaching Profession 'An Overwhelming Feeling of Guilt': Why Teachers Don't Take Sick Leave
A list of reasons why teachers say working while sick is easier than staying home.
Marina Whiteleather
•
2 min read
Closeup shot of an unrecognisable woman blowing her nose while working from home
Charday Penn/E+
Teaching Profession Data What Teacher Pay and Benefits Look Like, in Charts
A third of teachers report inadequate pay, and Black teachers are the likeliest to do extra unpaid work.
Sarah D. Sparks
•
4 min read
Vector illustration of a woman turning a piggy bank upside down with nothing but a few coins and flies falling out of it.
iStock/Getty
Teaching Profession The State of Teaching Why Teachers Likely Take So Few Days Off
The perception coincides with teachers' low levels of job satisfaction.
Alex Harwin
•
3 min read
Image of a calendar with a calendar date marked as "Day Off!"
Canva
Teaching Profession What the Research Says The More Students Miss Class, the Worse Teachers Feel About Their Jobs
Missing kids take a toll on teachers' morale, new research says. Here's how educators can cope with absenteeism.
Sarah D. Sparks
•
4 min read
An empty elementary school classroom is seen on Aug. 17, 2021 in the Bronx borough of New York. Nationwide, students have been absent at record rates since schools reopened after COVID-forced closures. More than a quarter of students missed at least 10% of the 2021-22 school year.
An empty elementary school classroom is seen on Aug. 17, 2021 in the Bronx borough of New York. Nationwide, students have been absent at record rates since schools reopened after COVID-forced closures. Now research suggests the phenomenon may be depressing teachers' job satisfaction.
Brittainy Newman/AP
Load More ▼