126: Justin Arguelles

12th Grade Teacher, Wilson High School

Justin Arguelles is a 12th grade teacher at Wilson High school. He worked throughout the pandemic, initially conducting entirely remote classes, then shifting to a hybrid school model. Once back to school, Justin was in person every day except Wednesdays, when the school was deep cleaned. The kids were split in two groups,  with half of them doing remote learning and half of them in the classroom, then switching mid week. One of Justin’s challenges was teaching simultaneously to students over video call and to students in the classroom in front of him. Although Justin’s health and finances were fine during the pandemic, he often lay awake at night worrying that he was not doing a good job balancing the needs of the remote students with that of the in-person students, afraid he was short changing one set of kids. As a teacher, it was incredibly difficult to discern the needs of his remote students with so few visual cues, and it was hard to give them adequate attention over the screens while simultaneously being present and engaged with the students in his classroom.

Fortunately, nobody in Justin’s nuclear family contracted the disease. However, his 96 year old grandmother became infected with covid while living in a nursing home in upstate NY. Thankfully, she survived, but it was a terrifying time for the family. Amidst all the fear and frustration though, Justin recalls being incredibly touched to see a much heightened camaraderie between his students. They just all seemed to really appreciate being able to be in school together. However, he is still incredibly concerned about the increased mental health issues the students have been suffering due to loss and isolation. He hopes that, ultimately, they will become more resilient young adults as a result of living through this experience. 

In general, Justin feels that the pandemic has made him more cynical about the nature of Americans. He was so disappointed to see how people wielded the virus as a political weapon, and he dearly hopes that we can put aside political rhetoric and pull together for the common good.