CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools teacher battling COVID-19 is sharing her experience with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Board of Education, hoping her perspective will inform the board’s decision-making process as it plans for a potential re-opening of schools in August.
Michelle Vail has been battling COVID-19 for more than a month. She admits she doesn’t have the perfect solution for a return to school — she only hopes her experience can help inform.
"If you don’t experience it, you can’t imagine how bad it is," Vail said.
Early in June, Vail went to Ohio to help a friend care for her mother. Days after they brought her friend’s mom home from the hospital, they realized she was sent home with COVID-19, infecting five members in the household including Vail.
"They test patients going in, but they didn’t test them coming out," Vail said.
Vail is still in self-isolation more than a month after first testing positive. As an 8th-grade science teacher at Waddell Language Academy, she worries about the viability of a return to school.
She said school is a social activity, and learning often happens in close quarters.
"Having all of those kids in the building and having to tell them they can’t go and get close to anybody else – I think that would be the biggest challenge," Vail said.
Cases in the Carolinas are still climbing and the clock is ticking on a decision.
"I don’t know," Vail said. "Personally, and this is just my opinion, I don’t see how it can happen."
Vail said remote learning presents its own challenges — it’s an incredible strain to maintain focus for teachers and for students, and the comprehension of material likely isn’t at the same level as in-person instruction.
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