For history teacher John Roshone ‘99, like many teachers across America, the switch to teaching online due to quarantine for a worldwide pandemic has not been a walk in the park.

He had to create new lesson plans, adjust to teaching online, and figure out how to conduct tests and quizzes. On top of this, he is working out of his home, which makes it that much harder.

“I like the idea of Zoom, but I honestly just cannot do it,” he said. “I have to take care of three children, plus they all have their own school work they have to get done, while my wife works, so it has been challenging to say the least.”

For a teacher like Roshone, whose lesson plans focus on everything being written on a board and explained to you in a classroom, the shift has been strenuous. He misses the interaction with students and being in the classroom.

“ You guys make Mount Michael and it is hard to teach without the interactions everyday,” he said. “I try my best to envision my classes and imagine what students would respond with, which is probably for my own sanity, but overall, I’ve always said that I love Mount Michael because of the students.

To stay sane and break up the monotony of online school, Roshone has been incorporating his children into his lecture videos, as well as providing his students with much needed humor and sarcasm during the lessons.

“More than anything, my lecture videos are real life,” he said. “My kids love to be in the videos so sometimes I give them cameos and other times, as you know, they just interrupt and they will draw all over the board when I’m not down there.”

As the end of an interesting school year winds down, Roshone, along with the student body, is disappointed with how the school year ended.

“It was a disappointing end to the year for school, and especially spring sports, but the decision made sense,” Quinn McMahon ‘21 says.

It is important to have perspective though, and to not overlook this virus..

“Stay safe,” Roshone said.