{"id":344,"date":"2022-03-30T11:21:18","date_gmt":"2022-03-30T18:21:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/labs.wsu.edu\/essential\/?page_id=344"},"modified":"2022-04-20T15:00:44","modified_gmt":"2022-04-20T22:00:44","slug":"norma","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/labs.wsu.edu\/essential\/norma\/","title":{"rendered":"Norma"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

En espa\u00f1ol<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Norma<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was too much  <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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For me, it would be an honor\u2026 [to have] our interview chosen and taken into consideration.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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About My Picture <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

[This is] where my furniture pieces are, my areas.  I have blocks, playacting, rest area \u2026 the fine motor skills area, and art \u2026 I had to modify those areas.  Why during Covid? Why did I modify them?  In order to have a bit more space and so that the kids wouldn\u2019t be so close together.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is very difficult to have to say, and it sounds ugly, \u201cseparating\u201d them. It\u2019s not our thing\u2026as a teacher, as a provider, it\u2019s not us, and I feel bad saying it, \u201cseparating\u201d them. <\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But all the same, we did it so that the bigger kids would be a little bit farther away from the littler kids, who can catch it easier \u2026 I was keeping an eye on the kids, to see if they were irritable, with aches or symptoms or anything.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I feel proud, as you say, because the kids aren\u2019t going to be so close, they\u2019re going to be playing with more space.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Our Interview with Norma <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you want to know when the pandemic began, ask me!  It was March 13th<\/sup>!\u201d The date is etched into Norma\u2019s memory because a graduation ceremony scheduled on that day to celebrate her completion of an early childhood educator certificate had to be canceled due to the statewide pandemic shutdown. \u201cI\u2019ll never forget it,\u201d said Norma, whose educational achievement felt especially worthy of celebration because, just a few weeks before finishing her courses, she had undergone surgery for third-stage cancer. \u201cThank God I am a cancer survivor,<\/em>\u201d Norma added, focusing not on her own well-being but instead on the essential service she provided families: \u201cI never decided to leave my kids \u2026 [or] the parents, so they wouldn\u2019t end up jobless.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Norma said her fear of contracting Covid motivated her to exercise \u201ca great deal of caution … lots of discipline,\u201d and strict adherence to protocols. She avoided getting the virus, as did those in her care: \u201cThe parents have never made a complaint saying \u2018my kid has symptoms\u2019 or \u2018my kid got sick\u2019 \u2026 and that makes me happy.\u201d As further validation of her commitment to prevention, one parent of three school-age children in Norma\u2019s care told her, \u201c\u2018Why am I going to send them [back] to school if all this time they\u2019ve never gotten sick?\u2019\u201d Norma found this acknowledgement \u201cgratifying, because the woman is happy that her kids are here and that they\u2019re connected to school just the same, but here in my house.  So I love that\u2026the kids are still in the school here, connected\u2026I like that.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Norma, who has worked with children her whole life, both as an in-home care provider in the US and a kindergarten teacher in Mexico, affirms that \u201cI have always said, taking care of children is beautiful, but it\u2019s also a great responsibility, and much more so with the virus that\u2019s going on.\u201d She hoped that the pandemic would pass quickly, but as she realized that this would be a long-term situation, she felt that \u201cIt was too much. Why would I tell you otherwise? I was indeed worried.\u201d She shared her hope that her and others\u2019 petitions to God would soon bring the pandemic to an end.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From full interview transcript of 3,901 words<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Norma<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Era demasiado <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Para m\u00ed, ser\u00eda un honor \u2026 [que decidieran] elegir y tomar en cuenta nuestra encuesta.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n