The teachers of McHenry High School are no longer sitting behind a desk and grading papers everyday. Instead they hop on a Zoom call and teach students from their homes. Teachers are faced with many difficulties along with the uncertainty of returning to school anytime soon.

Many teachers only split their time like West science teacher Ryan Ellison. Ellison explains, “I only work from home on Mondays and Thursdays unless we are directed by the school district to work from home due to Covid concerns.”

Many teachers are exposed to COVID risks due to certain students being allowed back into the building. Though the risks are low, many prefer to play it safe and work from home. That said, the reasons why teachers work from home vary from person to person.

“I would like to be able to see my parents and my partner’s parents so we try to limit as much potential exposure as we can,” states Spencer Hile, MCHS’s director of bands. COVID can cause a ton of stress in one’s life. Seeing and taking care of family are one of many reasons teachers will work from their homes.

Working from home can be very stressful on someone especially with none of the proper materials other than a computer.

“It is not as difficult as it once was,” Ellison adds. “I’ve brought home little 2.5′ x 3′ whiteboards and have made a larger whiteboard in my basement. I’ve also discovered many apps that have ‘whiteboarding’ capabilities that I can screen share with my students. The most difficult part of working from home has been trying to keep my nephew on task with his own school work.”

Though access to proper materials, family complications, and distractions can make teaching and learning a very difficult thing, working from home does have its perks which makes it easier.

West English teacher Peter Kim enjoys the perks of working from home. “The comfort of home is definitely a plus as well (formal top + pajama pants = work from home uniform),” Kim writes in an email.

The comfort of your own home has the ability to take the edge off for some. Others enjoy not having to commute to work as much. The positives of working from home seem to outweigh the negatives of working from home for some.

Working from home seemingly is very difficult. With family issues, not having the proper materials, and not forming proper relationships with students makes it very hard on a teacher. There are perks to working from home that make it more tolerable. Though the feeling of loneliness of not forming the relationships they once had definitely make this whole experience a whole lot more difficult.