WATCH — 2nd Grade Show and Tell: Children Share Their Pandemic Artworks and Talk About the Fear, Relief and Resilience That’s Defined Their Grade-School Years

Ashley Crandall’s second grade students didn’t like remote learning during the pandemic, and they hated wearing masks. But they did like keeping their friends and family safe, and, as Crandall told them, the best way to do that was to keep masks up and to social distance.

“It’s bigger than just us,” she would say.

Because she could provide that safe place, fear, happiness, and relief showed up in artwork the students created for The 74, when they were asked to illustrate the “best” and “most challenging” parts of the year. The drawings conveyed two distinct messages: First, the kids loved their friends, teacher, and community, and had suffered during remote learning. Second, they saw the value in safety protocols even though they hated the masks.

In this video, the students talk to reporter Bekah McNeel about their paintings and their pandemic school year. 

• Read more: The Second Pandemic — A Children’s Mental Health Crisis