Beth Adams

In the last two days, we've heard from local students, parents, teachers, and administrators about how they are coping with distance learning since schools closed nine weeks ago to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Today, in the third part of the WXXI News series, "Pandemic Academics: Education During the Coronavirus Crisis,"  we look at the effect that all this time away from the classroom could have on students' academic progress.

Schools were abruptly closed in mid-March as the coronavirus crisis reached local communities. In the second part of a WXXI News series on the impacts of the pandemic on education, we look at how academic performance is being evaluated, with so many variables at play.

If the sudden shift to remote learning was an adjustment for students, then it was jarring for educators.

"It was like putting teachers on a very steep slide and just pushing them off," said Jennifer Pacatte, a social studies teacher at Brighton High School.

The coronavirus crisis has disrupted daily life in countless ways. For schools, the last two months have been an unplanned experiment in remote learning. In the first part of a WXXI News series on the impacts of the pandemic on education, we explore how students' experiences differ based on their schools, teachers, and even their home environments.

Brennae Johnson lives with her mother and two siblings in what they describe as a tiny, two-bedroom apartment. 

Melanie Rozek has been a physical therapist for about 10 years, but the last couple of months have been like no other in her career.

"It's so surreal. I've never experienced anything like this before," she said. "It's scary. You go through the gamut of emotions."

Rozek has been helping COVID-19 patients at Strong Memorial Hospital get their strength back. It can be a slow process.  She said it takes just seven days for people to start losing muscle mass when they are sick and immobilized.

The coronavirus pandemic has touched every aspect of our lives, and there is no definite end to all the changes.

It's not surprising then, that therapists are talking to a lot of people about stress, anxiety, and other mental health concerns.

Tonya Girard's list of clients has grown quickly since the beginning of the pandemic.

The licensed marriage and family therapist is treating some people who have never sought counseling before.

No one knows why the coronavirus hit Ted O'Brien so hard. His wife, Sue, tested positive, too, but she recovered at home.

She said Ted has none of the underlying conditions associated with severe COVID-19 illness. He was in great shape and could run a 5K in less than 30 minutes.

That was before his coronavirus symptoms escalated and the former New York state senator, now the head of the state attorney general's Rochester office, was admitted to Rochester General Hospital in March.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that two pet cats in New York state tested positive for COVID-19.

So far, it appears that cats and ferrets are the domestic species most likely to get the novel coronavirus.

Bob Filmore has late stage Alzheimer's disease. 

He was admitted to Strong Memorial Hospital to be treated for an infection. That can be stressful under normal circumstances, but in this time of coronavirus when visitors aren't allowed, everyone the patient encounters is considered a stranger wearing a mask and covered in protective gear.