Jo Eberle and Jessica Beckinger share their experiences teaching during the different phases of the pandemic

Educators continue to adapt to the changing phases of the pandemic, and as the school year comes to a close, Davis Joint Unified School District (DJUSD) teachers Jo Eberle and Jessica Beckinger reflect on this “demoralizing” year for educators. 

    DJUSD schools returned to campus after the district’s spring break on April 12, 2021, which Beckinger and Eberle both expressed concerns about at the time. Mainly, teachers were worried about the lack of adjustment time for returning to in-person instruction and the safety of students’ and their own families. Beckinger, a kindergarten and first grade teacher at Birch Lane Elementary, said that, luckily, the adjustment back to the classroom has been easier than she expected. 

    “I thought there would be a longer period of normalization, getting them into their routines and expected behavior,” Beckinger said. “That actually happened pretty quickly, and it feels easier in terms of management as a teacher because it’s the smallest group I’ve ever had. In terms of getting every child’s attention or just behavior management in the classroom, it feels like a cakewalk because I have half the number of children I normally have in that room.”

    Previously, Beckinger had expressed that she was worried about being able to balance teaching and lesson planning for her in-person students with preparing materials and lessons for her distance learners, but she said that she has been able to focus her afternoons on lesson preparation by simulcasting morning class to her distance learners while she teaches in person.

      “I’ve freed up my afternoons now to prep […] lessons for the distance learners and grade their work and respond to emails and prep for in-person lessons—all the things we need to do,” Beckinger said. “So I freed up two to three hours most afternoons to focus exclusively on lesson work for the distance learners.”

    At Birch Lane, Beckinger’s kindergarten and first grade mixed class comes for in-person instruction from 8:30-11:30 a.m., so she is able to use time after lunch to record and prepare lessons for distance learners, as well as catch up on other work. Though Beckinger said that she still has to work harder to prepare essentially two days of lessons everyday, the real challenge of having kids back on campus has been enforcing social distancing rules and COVID-19 restrictions, as every class is approaching the rules differently.

“My students are not having recess. They’re staying very strictly, three feet apart,” Beckinger said. “And they’re looking out our classroom window and there’s another kindergarten class having full recess, and that’s not fair to my students.”

Beckinger explained that her students, who are five and six years old, do not understand all of the restrictions put in place, and as much as she wishes they could go out to recess, she recognizes that as a parent, she would expect her childrens’ teachers to follow the protocols set by the district. 

Eberle said that it has also been challenging to try to ensure that all of her students are receiving the same classroom experience, even while some of them continue to learn virtually.

“It’s hard to get the kids in the room to really put the effort into connecting with the kids who are still doing distance learning,” Eberle said. “If I make breakout rooms, or group work in Zoom, it kind of feels weird for students to be working with someone in the room and maintaining that connection, making sure that person at home is involved.”

Both educators also expressed that though they are happy to have students back in the classroom, and are looking forward to a more normal academic year in the fall, the pandemic has been challenging for teachers.

Eberle said that as a result of the reopening schools debate, many people were circulating inflammatory posts about teachers. She said she ended up unfriending high school classmates and neighbors on Facebook because of this. She also said that some of the negativity towards teachers during this time has given her space to reflect on her profession.

“It hasn’t affected my passion for teaching, but there’s been a lot of time for reflection on the effort that it takes,” Eberle said. “Do I always want to be working this hard for this payoff? It has been interesting to think about doing other things.”

Beckinger also said that she felt the rhetoric around teachers shifted during the pandemic. She remembers feeling like parents began to blame educators for their kids being stuck at home and feels that educators began to be deemed “lazy,” while she said she was working harder than ever.

Beckinger said that not only was she dedicating significant time and effort to teaching when working from home, but she had to work even harder to adjust to using Zoom and Google Classroom virtually overnight.

“For those of us who aren’t super techie, like my generation up, it was a big challenge,” Beckinger said. “Millennials maybe had it a little easier because they grew up with tech, but I didn’t use email until college […] I didn’t even have a cell phone until college.”

She also said that in addition to preparing for classes, teaching from home and responding to emails, Beckinger had to take care of her own children, since her husband had work in person throughout the pandemic, and their daycare was shut down for much of 2020.

“I did not have help for a good while in any form until 6 p.m. each day, five days a week,” Beckinger said. “Our parents stopped helping because of the pandemic and since older people were getting so sick, so we had nobody coming in and giving us any breaks, and I still had to do my job.”

Beckinger said that the combination of trying to adjust to working from home while taking care of her own children and feeling like the community was turning against teachers affected her mental health during the past year.

“I got kind of depressed last summer and I remember one night just crying in the kitchen, telling my husband, […] ‘I’m gonna lose my mind,’” Beckinger said. “It was hard. It was emotionally harder than I could have anticipated. Harder than life usually is for sure.”  

Eberle  said that she felt very lucky because her children are teenagers and need less looking after during the day. 

“I can’t imagine having small children who need to be supervised and entertained—that just blows my mind,” Eberle said. 

She said that throwing herself into her work actually helped take her mind off of the pandemic at times.

“So actually for some of us, I think being so busy really gave us a focus,” Eberle said. “It almost helped us handle this strange situation because our energy was in preparing for the classes, so it kept us grounded.”

Although this year has been hard on both teachers and students, for Eberle, the hardest past remained the same throughout: reaching her “unreachable” students.

“I’ve gone to people’s houses to drop off materials, but I don’t really have the capacity to do home visits with my personal family life and schedule,” Eberle said. “I can call home, but even if your parents think that you’re online, it doesn’t mean that you’re actually logging in. It doesn’t mean you’re actually paying attention to the lesson instead of doing something else on your computer. If [students] don’t want to be reached, they can stay completely disconnected.”

Beckinger added that though she is looking forward to the fall and is excited to be back in the classroom, she is worried about how the pandemic might change the education profession moving forward.

“I do worry that we’ll go into a bit of a supply and demand issue,” Beckinger said. “I think people are leaving, or wanting to leave, more than people are wanting to come in after seeing the way teachers have been treated and what they’ve gone through this past year.”

Written by: Katie DeBenedetti — features@theaggie.org

Faculty members of UC Davis Library reflect on the history of the Eggheads and their impact on campus

Amid the structures that make UC Davis similar to other college campuses such as classrooms, dormitories and dining halls, the Egghead sculptures stick out as a Davis quirk. The Eggheads, which can be seen in five different locations, are art sculptures that were first introduced to UC Davis in 1991. Quite literally egg-shaped heads, the sculptures were created by late UC Davis ceramics professor Robert Arneson. 

Kevin Miller, the head of Archives and Special Collections and the lead for the Archives and Institutional Assets Program as the university archivist, explained how the initiative to create the Eggheads came to be. 

“Right towards the end of [Arneson’s] career at UC Davis, there was this group that was starting up, a campus committee called the UC Davis Art and Public Spaces Committee,” Miller said. “They worked with donor money to raise some money for some public artworks to beautify campus and make campus a little more unique. Arneson’s Egghead’s were a big part of that.”

Miller stated that while the concept of an “egghead” refers to someone who is highly academic or intellectual, the sculptures serve as an important reminder of UC Davis’ strong arts and humanities presence. 

“In some ways it accomplishes both: it kind of points out that we’re a very serious school in terms of academics with a wide range of disciplines, but it also speaks to the important history of art on campus,” Miller said.

Moreover, Miller explained that it was important for Arneson that the Eggheads be hands-on and interactive, rather than roped off from the public. He wanted members of the community to “be able to go up to them, touch them, experience them.” UC Davis has fulfilled this wish, and anyone can approach the Eggheads. They have even become popular spots for graduation photos.

“Occasionally, there’ll be somebody scratching their name into one or something like that, but for the most part they’re beloved. They’re the subject of practical jokes that are done with love,” Miller said.

While the Eggheads reside on campus, Miller stated that they fused well with Davis as a city. 

“It bled into the town as well, and maybe that was reciprocal because Davis as a town is also pretty well known for its kind of quirky public art,” Miller said. “So that was really nice for the town and college relationship.”

Lee Riggs, a library assistant in Student Services at Shields Library, appreciates the sense of humor and approachability of the Eggheads and how they incorporate fun into an academic campus.  

“You can read your own story into each of them, but you can also see that they have their own story,” Riggs said. 

Riggs shed light on the connections students have made with the different Eggheads over the years, such as the “Bookhead” which is located outside of Shields Library.  

“The other thing that sticks in my head with the ‘Bookhead’ is that over time, people have decided that if you rub it before an exam, that will bring you good luck,” Riggs said. “I’ve actually heard campus tour guides say that, so that’s kind of a myth that has developed on its own.”

Jessica Nusbaum, the Director of Communications and Marketing at the UC Davis Library, described her opinion on the lasting impact of the Eggheads on UC Davis. 

“I’m no art historian, but in my personal view as a member of the campus community, Robert Arneson’s Eggheads have become emblematic of UC Davis,” Nusbaum said via email. “Quirky, witty, challenging us to look at things in a new way—from the upside-down ‘Eye on Mrak’ to the library’s own ‘Bookhead’ […] the Eggheads are truly one of the university’s most visible and recognizable symbols.”
Written by: Nora Farahdel — features@theaggie.org

Students voice their opinions on the role of ASUCD and the importance it holds for them 

ASUCD provides a variety of programs and services that cater to the UC Davis student body’s needs through its four pillars: social, basic needs, advocacy and media. Among these student-facilitated programs is ASUCD’s student government. Many of the representatives elected by UC Davis students play a role in writing legislation that maintains ASUCD operations and services. Appointed members can also advocate for issues reflecting the needs of students and promote them to campus officials for implementation. 

Michael Navarro, a first-year political science-public service major and a current ASUCD senator, described more about his role and responsibilities as an elected official. 

“As an ASUCD senator, it is my responsibility to actively represent the student body as a whole,” Navarro said. “I review, write and assist in a variety of different legislation that impacts the student body to better support and benefit all people on campus. It is critical to elect student representatives because it is important to have different perspectives.”

In addition to selecting senators and other representatives, students have the power to decide on the measures to be implemented in ASUCD. 

ASUCD hosts two general elections every academic year. Each one provides an opportunity for students to elect new representatives and bring a fresh perspective to student issues and concerns. In both elections, new senators are selected to bring about reform on the items addressed in their running platforms, and the election in the spring contains the executive ticket which elects the president and vice president. 

Although ASUCD elections hold the power to decide the students that will maintain the variety of services and programs UC Davis has to offer, many students do not participate in this decision-making process. The senate race this spring had a voter turnout of 1,786. The executive ticket summary had a comparable number of voters, averaging to about 1,722 voters for this yearly election. 

There are over 30,000 undergraduate students that attend UC Davis, and yet fewer than 2,000 choose to participate in the decisions that are made regarding their campus and student life. Japkaran Singh, a second-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major, offered his understanding about ASUCD and the importance of the elections for him. 

“From my two years at Davis, I haven’t had an experience that I remember where ASUCD’s elections and policy decisions have affected me at all,” Singh said. “I’ll see the occasional social media post about the elections, but I don’t have a slight idea what ASUCD does as an organization. Even the website doesn’t really provide a clear answer.”

Despite the low voter turnout and the lack of awareness about the role of ASUCD for some, some students are greatly involved in the process of electing their student representatives. Leilani Gonzalez, a second-year gender, sexuality and women’s studies major, shared her opinions about the importance of voting and the impact ASUCD has.

“Since ASUCD strives [to voice] the concerns of the student body, I feel that as a member of the UC Davis community it is important that I use my right to vote and take part in these elections because my voice matters,” Gonzalez said. “These student representatives along with the ASUCD unit are the deciding factors for a lot of my issues and I want to make sure that I am represented fairly.”

Written by: Emmanuel Fonseca — features@theaggie.org

With some opposition toward the heritage month, students and a faculty member discuss their perspective on creating tangible change for the community and acts of performatism

April was Arab American Heritage Month, yet this recognition sparked controversy among content creators who stated that the existence of the month is performative. The month’s history goes as far back as 1990, but has only recently gained more widespread popularity with recognition from the U.S. Department of State this year, the first branch of the federal government to do so.  

    Shayma Hassouna, a professor of Arabic and Middle East/South Asian studies at UC Davis, and Rassa Ebrahim, a third-year law student at UC Davis and a member of the Middle Eastern North African South Asian Law Student Association (MENASA-LSA), both mentioned that they were unaware of the existence of the history month. Ebrahim criticized its establishment, as he believed that creating the month was performative and inadequate at solving racial issues. 

    “I didn’t even know it existed,” Ebrahim said. “Is every month a history month for a different minority now? I don’t see these history months as being particularly effective at changing the way social structures work in this society.”

    Christy Rahal, a second-year political science major and the director of recruitment for the Empowered Arab Sisterhood, stated that she was briefly aware of the heritage month’s existence after seeing a few posts about it on social media. The posts, however, were minimal and Rahal said that they did not have a real impact. 

“I feel like that month really hasn’t done anything because no one really knows about it,” Rahal said. “I just saw the post, and my life went back to normal.”

    Both Rahal and Ebrahim said that the purpose of the heritage month seemed superficial and failed to bring tangible change.  

    “I think it was a performance tactic to make the government look less racist, to be completely honest,” Rahal said. “They do it with every ethnicity or group that they discriminate against. They’re always like, ‘Oh, we’ll have a month or a parade.’ In the background […] they’re not actually fighting for us.”

Coming from a Lebanese-Palestinian and Chinese background, Rahal commented on the frustration she experiences when she has to idenitfy as white on government documents because many do not offer an option she feels comfortable identifying with. In fact, many Arabs and Middle Easterners similarly feel a loss of identity when being categorized in a group that does not represent them. 

Though Ebrahim does not believe that the month influenced change this year, he said that in the future, it could be a push for education about the Arab American community. 

“Perhaps the onset of the history month could help generate elementary school curriculums that substantially expose children from a young age to different cultures,” Ebrahim said.

Hassouna and Rahal said that change would be most plausible with events that showcased the Arab community in a relatable perspective. Hassouna noted that food is one of the best ways to bring people together and said that a greater way to gain unity would be through cultural events that showcased Arab dances like dabke, movie showings and street vendors.

Beyond creating change with the larger community, Hassouna also stated that it’s important to promote unification within the Arab community. She mentioned the necessity of embracing change between the different countries.

“We need to accept difference,” Hassouna said. “Iraqis do things different from Egyptians but […] it’s not wrong. There is no such thing as wrong in a culture.”

Despite Rahal and Ebrahim considering the month to be performative, Hassouna believes that the establishment of Arab American Heritage Month may help overcome discrimination and negative stigmas.

 “Any step is a step forward,” Hassouna said. “Ending the discrimination, that is so huge, but I believe that it ends with people actually meeting us and working with us and realizing that we’re all the same.”

Written by: Farrah Ballou — features@theaggie.org