From freshmen to seniors, Joliet West students have adapted to their newfound free time. But, what about the teachers? When planning and grading are done, teachers are faced with the same struggle: stay-at-home boredom. Here is what some of Joliet West’s staff has to say about their quarantine.

Mrs. Venegas, a pre-calculus teacher at Joliet West, has been able to go on more walks with her pets and spend more time with her family. She has also gotten to garden and purchase plants for both her and her mother. As far as housework goes, Mrs. Venegas would like to remodel some areas of her house in the near future.

One thing that has become big in the world of the Coronavirus is reading. An activity that can be daunting with the amount of time it requires has been made easier as people are stuck at home. Mrs. Venegas says, “While my natural abilities lie in the STEM realm, my love of language is undeniable.” She recently re-read Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, a book she had from college, but remembered little of. From the reread, Mrs. Venegas found a parallel between the book’s theme and the current pandemic, as the novel is a story of hardship and risking one’s own safety.

Another teacher who has read over quarantine would be Mr. Mirus, an AP Literature and English teacher at Joliet West. He recently got into the Scythe series written by Neal Shusterman, which has a “fantasy/sci-fi feel that not everyone is in to.” As well as reading, Mr. Mirus has started watching Bob’s Burgers, a comedy show he’d recommend to anyone who has siblings. However, reading and television even get boring after a while. Outside of this, Mr. Mirus has spent time landscaping his yard, improving the garage, working out, and droning. 

For some other teachers, time off has been spent helping out their own kids with E-learning work. One of these people would be Mrs. Vail, a geometry teacher at Joliet West. Fortunately, E-learning does not take up every hour. In her free time, Mrs. Vail has gone on walks, bike rides, and has watched lots of classic movies with her family. The open schedule has also allowed her to have time to work out every day, too. 

Though we’d all love to see the day life goes back to normal, lots of people, like teachers, have found great ways to stay occupied and relax with their time off. There is a lot of optimism going around despite what we are going through. As Mrs. Vail says, “Some days go by in a blur and others are neverending but I’m blessed to be home, healthy, and happy with my favorite people.” It is the little things like this that matter right now!