By Luke Voogt
East Geelong husband and wife Andrew Augerinos and Melissa Tinker are busily preparing to return to face-to-face teaching in term 4 next Monday.
They speak to Luke Voogt about the challenges of 2020 and their impending joy at seeing students’ happy little faces again.
In more than 60 years of teaching combined, Andrew Augerinos and Melissa Tinker have never faced a challenge like COVID-19.
“If someone told us this is where you’d be, you wouldn’t believe it,” Andrew said.
“I could comfortably say the workload was doubled,” Melissa added.
As Oberon Primary School principal, Andrew has been onsite every school day since the pandemic began, supervising classes for students unable to participate in remote learning.
“I think teachers are going to be looked at as heroes in this time, along with doctors, nurses and essential workers,” he said.
The wellbeing of students, parents and teachers was Andrew’s primary concern as he coordinated the move to remote learning, first in April, then again in July.
“Churches aren’t going, footy clubs aren’t running, scouts aren’t going. But schools are,” he said.
During the second remote learning period Andrew introduced ‘well-being Wednesdays’ focussing getting students outdoors and playing, or arts, craft and mindfulness.
“During the first time ’round parents were saying that they and their children were feeling a little bit overwhelmed with the amount of work and the time that they had to be online,” he explained.
Creating private communication channels for parents also helped him and teachers check on student welfare while unable to see them in-person, he said.
“It’s about making that extra phone call. You always worry but the job is to check in on anyone you think is vulnerable.”
Melissa has taught at Lara Lake Primary School two days a week for 70 disadvantaged students and children of essential workers, while teaching remotely the rest of the week.
“Staff have really pulled together and our leadership group tried to minimise our time coming in for our health,” she said.
The students’ resilience and ability to adapt continued to impress her, she said.
“The kids that were onsite, they knew to wash their hands then sanitise, they would have their temperatures taken, sit down and get their iPads out.”
Teachers anonymously sending groceries and other financial help to families in need had also increased during COVID-19, Melissa said.
“It’s a way of living, being a teacher, and I think teachers all over the world are doing the same thing,” she said.
“The teachers I’ve known over the past 30 or 40 years will go above and beyond for their student’s welfare and learning.”
Perhaps the most difficult challenge during the first return to face-to-face learning in May, prior to Victoria’s second wave, was reminding children to socially distance.
“I opened that door on the first day and it was very hard when they ran at you and hugged your legs,” Melissa said.
“They were so excited to see each other. They were hugging each other.”
But after a few gentle reminders, the returning children soon became used to the 1.5m spacing, floor markings around the classroom and using only their own equipment.
The secret was introducing the new routines as “normally” as possible, Melissa said.
“We had to give them information in a way a six-year-old brain could cope. You want them to be kids, you don’t want to scare them.
“Some of them had seen what was happening in the media.
“They were scared they would get germs, they said.
“We taught as best as we could in the circumstances but health was the priority.”
When the second waved forced schools back to remote learning, Andrew felt like “the energy had been switched off again”.
But he and his wife have tried to keep that energy going through weekly whole-class online chats at their separate schools.
“We dress up in funny hats and play silly games to keep their social interaction going,” Melissa said.
“Every time we had an online group they would have to go get their dog, cat or rabbit to show everyone.
“I’ve got the best job in the world. But I didn’t become a teacher to sit in front of screen.
“We need to see that they’re doing OK and that they’re happy. You don’t stop thinking about them at 5pm.”
A teacher at Lara Lake Primary created an online version of Roald Dahl’s The Witches, with teachers as characters, Melissa remembered with amusement.
“He had me as the old witchy grandma and he downloaded the swearing beeps, and had the kids write complaints about my behaviour,” she laughed.
Andrew and Melissa can’t wait to see their students face-to-face again in term 4 but are keeping on their toes for any potential return to remote learning.
“I assume this is what we’ll be doing for a long-time into the future,” Melissa said.
“But just to have those little faces back in the classroom, it will be joyous.”
While they were looking after students and their parents’ wellbeing, not-for-profit insurer Teachers Health was helping with theirs, Andrew said.
Previously, the fund had taken care of surgery for their son and their optical and dental needs, he said.
“It’s nice to know there’s a health fund that understands what teachers are going through.”
