Four Baltimore Teachers Reflect on The Pandemic, And The Year Ahead

Today, it’s Teacher Appreciation Day on Midday. We’d love to hear from you if you’d like to give a shout-out to a teacher who is a favorite of yours or students in your household… What will the long-term impact of the COVID crisis be on City students? What can teachers, students and staff expect when they return to full-time in-person learning in the fall? Tom's first guests today are a married couple who juggled caring for their two young children with caring for some of your children in their virtual and in-person classrooms this year. Jessalyn Timson teaches math in the Ingenuity Project at James McHenry Elementary/Middle School, a neighborhood school a few blocks away from the B&O Railroad Museum on the West Side of Baltimore. She’s been teaching in Baltimore City for 12 years. She’s also taught at her alma mater, Poly High School and at the KIPP Ujima School.James Todaro has taught computer science and math at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute High School (Poly High) on Cold Spring Lane in north Baltimore, for 15 years. He also advises the ski and snowboard club, and the It’s Academic team... Then, Tom talks with Diamonté Brown, the president of the Baltimore Teachers Union, about what’s on the mind of her membership as teachers and students prepare to go back to full, in-person learning in the fall. Ms. Brown, a former middle school teacher, was elected to lead the 7,000 members of the Baltimore Teachers Union in 2019. Tom's final guest today is the 2021 Baltimore City Public Schools Teacher of the Year. Sidney Thomas teaches social studies at the Holabird Academy, a neighborhood elementary/middle school in O’Donnell Heights in Southeast Baltimore. Comments or questions?  Want to give a shout-out to your favorite Baltimore City school teacher? Call us at 410.662.8780. email [email protected], or Tweet us @MiddayWYPR. All our guests joined us today on Zoom.Email us at [email protected], tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.