Alexandria Rugenstein, August 19th, 2024
Title
Alexandria Rugenstein, August 19th, 2024
Description
In this interview, Alexandria Rugenstein shares how Covid-19 affected her as a school teacher and the effects she has seen it have on students.
Publisher
Detroit Historical Society
Rights
Detroit Historical Society
Narrator/Interviewee's Name
Alexandria Rugenstein
Brief Biography
Alexandria Rugenstein is a resident of Springfield, Michigan. She works as an elementary school teacher in Harper Woods.
Interviewer's Name
Doris Lanzkron-Tamarazo
Date
08/19/2024
Interview Length
11:36
Transcription
Doris Lanzkron-Tamarazo: I'm Doris Lanzkron-Tamarazo, it's August 19th, 2024, and I'm here with, please say your name.
Alexandria Rugenstein: Alexandria Rugenstein.
DLT: And can you please spell your name?
AR: A l e x a n d r i a R u g e n s t e i n.
DLT: Thank you. And where do you live?.
AR: In Springfield.
DLT: How long have you lived here?
AR: Pretty much my whole life. {Audio Unintelligible}
DLT: Have you lived anywhere else in Metro Detroit?
AR: {Audio Unintelligible}
DLT: How long have you been teaching?
AR: Since {Audio Unintelligible}.
DLT: What were you doing in education before becoming a teacher?
AR: I was a para pro, and then I was a building sub.
DLT: And where do you work?
AR: In Harper Woods.
DLT: So when did you first hear about Covid-19?
AR: I first heard about Covid-19 around February of 2020, and mostly because my friend and I were planning a big international trip to Japan, and he started telling me about, you know, hey, there's this virus going around overseas and we're going to possibly have to cancel our trip. So that's really what kind of alerted me to the bigger picture.
DLT: And were you worried about it coming to the United States?
AR: A little bit. {Audio Unintelligible} But not as much as I expected it to affect everything.
DLT: And when did you start to become worried about it?
AR: Really when everything started shutting down. So when we went to the first lockdown and everything closed down, {Audio Unintelligible} and then that was kind of the real effect that impacted me the most.
DLT: Where were you working at the time?
AR: I was working in the [Browning Elementary] school as a parapro.
DLT: And how did this shutdown initially affect the work? Things were closed down. Were you still working there when the school reopened?
AR: Well, so things shut down, and I did volunteer my time to go and help pass out lunches for the kids. For our, like, free lunch students. So, we were still kind of working in some capacity a couple times a week, but not, obviously, in the original capacity that we were hired for. However, when we finally went back to school, my position within the district kind of was eradicated because they were doing virtual. So I left at that point and got a job in another district as a building sub.
DLT: And what did that new job look like to start with? Were there any changes from what working at a school had been like before?
AR: Definitely. Students weren't allowed to leave their desks. They weren't allowed to interact with other kids at lunch or recess. {Audio Unintelligible}
DLT: And what do you think the effects of these new rules were on the school experience?
AR: I would definitely say that it affected a lot of social skills amongst the students, but even amongst the adults. We were also isolated and staying away from each other.
DLT: What were the impacts you noticed on the social skills?
AR: The younger kids just didn't develop the same social skills that, you know, you or I might have developed at that same age. So, for example, the first graders, they weren't allowed to interact with each other. And so there was a lot more bickering and arguing going on because of small little issues where, when I was in school, we were able to resolve those a little bit differently than screaming and yelling at each other and arguing.
DLT: And did you notice any impacts on academic performance?
AR: Yes, because there was a lot less collaboration amongst the students. They weren’t able to help each other along. So I noticed there were a lot of kids getting left behind a little because they’re not socializing in any way to assist the learning.
DLT: And what were some ways that you and the other teachers that you spoke with were trying to adjust to this difference in the social and academic progress?
AR: Tried as much as we could as far as having kids communicate with each other but while staying in their seats. Using a lot more call and response things where, you know, I ask a question and the kids have to answer out loud instead of collaborating together. We {Audio Unintelligible} want to help them get to where they need to be.
DLT: {Audio Unintelligible}
AR: {Audio Unintelligible}
DLT: And in the years since you've started working there. How do you notice these effects diminishing or compounding?
AR: I'd say it's gotten a little bit better, definitely still some {Audio Unintelligible} My third-graders my first year of teaching would have been in kindergarten when Covid hit. So they got some of those social skills. The group I had this year have been virtual for all of kindergarten, and they do not have those social skills. They can't handle sitting in a seat for more than five minutes. They need a lot more {Audio Unintelligible}.
DLT: What do you think the long-term impacts of the pandemic and the shutdown might be on these educational systems?
AR: I'd like to think that, eventually, it'll kind of weed itself out as we get going further along. I teach elementary, so it would take longer for someone to get through all of those deficits that teaches a higher grade level, whereas this year the third-graders that I would be getting would have, you know, been in school full-time for kindergarten. So they would have had those, the more traditional teaching than the two previous classes.
DLT: And do you think there have been any benefits to the educational system from any of the adaptations that emerged during the pandemic?
AR: I think so. I feel like a lot of districts have just kind of {Audio Unintelligible} So I think it's been pretty different, because it's kind of meeting them at their level. You know, they're already on TikTok and all that. So they're like, ooh, we get to be on a computer today? Cool! And they really get to be playing their learning games on these {Audio Unintelligible}.
DLT: And did you personally contract Covid-19?
AR: Never on a test, had symptoms or anything. So, not that I'm aware of. I could have been one of those lucky ones that was asymptomatic, but.
DLT: Did you know a lot of family and friends who contracted it?
AR: {Audio Unintelligible} But I definitely knew a lot of other people outside of my household also that got it.
DLT: Did you know anyone who got a very severe case?
AR: Yes. And several that have sadly passed away.
DLT: And how did you feel at the time about the shelter-in -place orders and have your opinions changed over time?
AR: At the time I {Audio Unintelligible} not a sit at home and just chill type of person. So it was really hard for me to just [Laughs] sit home and not do anything. But my opinions haven’t changed or anything. I never {Audio Unintelligible} it. It was just hard to do.
DLT: Did you start any new activities or anything else when you were stuck at home?
AR: I {Audio Unintelligible} crochet and knitting. I already knew how to knit, but I picked it up again. I got back into reading. But I also, my aunt works in a hospital, so I actually picked up a job at one of those locals hospitals {Audio Unintelligible} as a sitter with patients that {Audio Unintelligible}.
DLT: And what was it like working at a hospital during that time?
AR: I don’t think it was different from what it normally is other than no visitors. I mean, we had to wear masks all the time, and— But there wasn't any other big precautions. I sat in a chair across the room from them, which is what the sitters normally would. So, I mean, other than— I did have to sit in a room a couple times with someone who had Covid, but, you know, we had all of our, you know, PPE that they provided us with for that.
DLT: And looking back, how did you feel about vaccine requirements, and have your opinions changed over time?
AR: I was frustrated about the requirements for the vaccine. Obviously, I was working in the hospital, but also schools required me to get it {Audio Unintelligible} for teaching, so I was forced to get it. I didn't like that {Audio Unintelligible}. I think we should all get that choice. I would have gotten the vaccine anyway, but it should have been something that I chose to do. Not something that I was told I had to do.
DLT: And have your opinions on the management of the pandemic in general changed over time?
AR: I don't think so. I feel like it was handled as best as anyone can handle it. I mean, the last pandemic that we had was, what? The Spanish flu in [Laughs] the early 1900s. So no one really alive today has ever experienced something like this firsthand. So I think it was handled as best as we could.
DLT: And what do you think the lasting impacts of the pandemic have been on your life, on Metro Detroit, on the world?
AR: I definitely see a lot of changes. Like, stores aren't open as late or, like, restaurants, they're not open as late. There's definitely a lot of staffing issues around. So I definitely see that there's an impact on just life in general since the pandemic. And it seems like— At times, it feels like we're going back to like the normal from before. But I think this is just the new normal.
DLT: And how would you define the new normal?
AR: I don't know. I think it's just— It's not much different than what it was before. I just, you know, those things, kind of like the Mandela Effect. Everyone's just like, well, I remember it this way. Well, now it's this way.
DLT: And what lessons do you hope were learned through the pandemic?
AR: That's a tough one. Hm. I'm not sure. I hope that people learn to be a little more compassionate and kind, because I feel like there was a lot of, not a lot of that going around before. Or at least during. There was a lot of anger and that pent up frustration, which was understandable in the midst of things. But I just hope that the lessons behind it all were, you know, we need to think and understand that the people that make the decisions, they know what they're doing.
DLT: And was there anything else you wanted to discuss regarding your experience with Covid that none of my questions have brought up?
AR: I don't think so.
DLT: All right, then that was all the questions I had for you today. Thank you so much for your time.
AR: You're welcome.
Alexandria Rugenstein: Alexandria Rugenstein.
DLT: And can you please spell your name?
AR: A l e x a n d r i a R u g e n s t e i n.
DLT: Thank you. And where do you live?.
AR: In Springfield.
DLT: How long have you lived here?
AR: Pretty much my whole life. {Audio Unintelligible}
DLT: Have you lived anywhere else in Metro Detroit?
AR: {Audio Unintelligible}
DLT: How long have you been teaching?
AR: Since {Audio Unintelligible}.
DLT: What were you doing in education before becoming a teacher?
AR: I was a para pro, and then I was a building sub.
DLT: And where do you work?
AR: In Harper Woods.
DLT: So when did you first hear about Covid-19?
AR: I first heard about Covid-19 around February of 2020, and mostly because my friend and I were planning a big international trip to Japan, and he started telling me about, you know, hey, there's this virus going around overseas and we're going to possibly have to cancel our trip. So that's really what kind of alerted me to the bigger picture.
DLT: And were you worried about it coming to the United States?
AR: A little bit. {Audio Unintelligible} But not as much as I expected it to affect everything.
DLT: And when did you start to become worried about it?
AR: Really when everything started shutting down. So when we went to the first lockdown and everything closed down, {Audio Unintelligible} and then that was kind of the real effect that impacted me the most.
DLT: Where were you working at the time?
AR: I was working in the [Browning Elementary] school as a parapro.
DLT: And how did this shutdown initially affect the work? Things were closed down. Were you still working there when the school reopened?
AR: Well, so things shut down, and I did volunteer my time to go and help pass out lunches for the kids. For our, like, free lunch students. So, we were still kind of working in some capacity a couple times a week, but not, obviously, in the original capacity that we were hired for. However, when we finally went back to school, my position within the district kind of was eradicated because they were doing virtual. So I left at that point and got a job in another district as a building sub.
DLT: And what did that new job look like to start with? Were there any changes from what working at a school had been like before?
AR: Definitely. Students weren't allowed to leave their desks. They weren't allowed to interact with other kids at lunch or recess. {Audio Unintelligible}
DLT: And what do you think the effects of these new rules were on the school experience?
AR: I would definitely say that it affected a lot of social skills amongst the students, but even amongst the adults. We were also isolated and staying away from each other.
DLT: What were the impacts you noticed on the social skills?
AR: The younger kids just didn't develop the same social skills that, you know, you or I might have developed at that same age. So, for example, the first graders, they weren't allowed to interact with each other. And so there was a lot more bickering and arguing going on because of small little issues where, when I was in school, we were able to resolve those a little bit differently than screaming and yelling at each other and arguing.
DLT: And did you notice any impacts on academic performance?
AR: Yes, because there was a lot less collaboration amongst the students. They weren’t able to help each other along. So I noticed there were a lot of kids getting left behind a little because they’re not socializing in any way to assist the learning.
DLT: And what were some ways that you and the other teachers that you spoke with were trying to adjust to this difference in the social and academic progress?
AR: Tried as much as we could as far as having kids communicate with each other but while staying in their seats. Using a lot more call and response things where, you know, I ask a question and the kids have to answer out loud instead of collaborating together. We {Audio Unintelligible} want to help them get to where they need to be.
DLT: {Audio Unintelligible}
AR: {Audio Unintelligible}
DLT: And in the years since you've started working there. How do you notice these effects diminishing or compounding?
AR: I'd say it's gotten a little bit better, definitely still some {Audio Unintelligible} My third-graders my first year of teaching would have been in kindergarten when Covid hit. So they got some of those social skills. The group I had this year have been virtual for all of kindergarten, and they do not have those social skills. They can't handle sitting in a seat for more than five minutes. They need a lot more {Audio Unintelligible}.
DLT: What do you think the long-term impacts of the pandemic and the shutdown might be on these educational systems?
AR: I'd like to think that, eventually, it'll kind of weed itself out as we get going further along. I teach elementary, so it would take longer for someone to get through all of those deficits that teaches a higher grade level, whereas this year the third-graders that I would be getting would have, you know, been in school full-time for kindergarten. So they would have had those, the more traditional teaching than the two previous classes.
DLT: And do you think there have been any benefits to the educational system from any of the adaptations that emerged during the pandemic?
AR: I think so. I feel like a lot of districts have just kind of {Audio Unintelligible} So I think it's been pretty different, because it's kind of meeting them at their level. You know, they're already on TikTok and all that. So they're like, ooh, we get to be on a computer today? Cool! And they really get to be playing their learning games on these {Audio Unintelligible}.
DLT: And did you personally contract Covid-19?
AR: Never on a test, had symptoms or anything. So, not that I'm aware of. I could have been one of those lucky ones that was asymptomatic, but.
DLT: Did you know a lot of family and friends who contracted it?
AR: {Audio Unintelligible} But I definitely knew a lot of other people outside of my household also that got it.
DLT: Did you know anyone who got a very severe case?
AR: Yes. And several that have sadly passed away.
DLT: And how did you feel at the time about the shelter-in -place orders and have your opinions changed over time?
AR: At the time I {Audio Unintelligible} not a sit at home and just chill type of person. So it was really hard for me to just [Laughs] sit home and not do anything. But my opinions haven’t changed or anything. I never {Audio Unintelligible} it. It was just hard to do.
DLT: Did you start any new activities or anything else when you were stuck at home?
AR: I {Audio Unintelligible} crochet and knitting. I already knew how to knit, but I picked it up again. I got back into reading. But I also, my aunt works in a hospital, so I actually picked up a job at one of those locals hospitals {Audio Unintelligible} as a sitter with patients that {Audio Unintelligible}.
DLT: And what was it like working at a hospital during that time?
AR: I don’t think it was different from what it normally is other than no visitors. I mean, we had to wear masks all the time, and— But there wasn't any other big precautions. I sat in a chair across the room from them, which is what the sitters normally would. So, I mean, other than— I did have to sit in a room a couple times with someone who had Covid, but, you know, we had all of our, you know, PPE that they provided us with for that.
DLT: And looking back, how did you feel about vaccine requirements, and have your opinions changed over time?
AR: I was frustrated about the requirements for the vaccine. Obviously, I was working in the hospital, but also schools required me to get it {Audio Unintelligible} for teaching, so I was forced to get it. I didn't like that {Audio Unintelligible}. I think we should all get that choice. I would have gotten the vaccine anyway, but it should have been something that I chose to do. Not something that I was told I had to do.
DLT: And have your opinions on the management of the pandemic in general changed over time?
AR: I don't think so. I feel like it was handled as best as anyone can handle it. I mean, the last pandemic that we had was, what? The Spanish flu in [Laughs] the early 1900s. So no one really alive today has ever experienced something like this firsthand. So I think it was handled as best as we could.
DLT: And what do you think the lasting impacts of the pandemic have been on your life, on Metro Detroit, on the world?
AR: I definitely see a lot of changes. Like, stores aren't open as late or, like, restaurants, they're not open as late. There's definitely a lot of staffing issues around. So I definitely see that there's an impact on just life in general since the pandemic. And it seems like— At times, it feels like we're going back to like the normal from before. But I think this is just the new normal.
DLT: And how would you define the new normal?
AR: I don't know. I think it's just— It's not much different than what it was before. I just, you know, those things, kind of like the Mandela Effect. Everyone's just like, well, I remember it this way. Well, now it's this way.
DLT: And what lessons do you hope were learned through the pandemic?
AR: That's a tough one. Hm. I'm not sure. I hope that people learn to be a little more compassionate and kind, because I feel like there was a lot of, not a lot of that going around before. Or at least during. There was a lot of anger and that pent up frustration, which was understandable in the midst of things. But I just hope that the lessons behind it all were, you know, we need to think and understand that the people that make the decisions, they know what they're doing.
DLT: And was there anything else you wanted to discuss regarding your experience with Covid that none of my questions have brought up?
AR: I don't think so.
DLT: All right, then that was all the questions I had for you today. Thank you so much for your time.
AR: You're welcome.
Files
Collection
Citation
“Alexandria Rugenstein, August 19th, 2024,” Detroit Historical Society Oral History Archive, accessed April 29, 2025, http://detroit1967.detroithistorical.org/items/show/1048.