North Andover, Massachusetts, photographer and mother Abby Murphy took photos of kids sharing what they missed or have struggled with during the year the coronavirus pandemic forced people into lockdown and kept many students out of schools.
The images are powerful: a child learning remotely, playing all alone, time spent home without friends.
They're part of a special photo project that families in North Andover are participating in, one that documents what kids have lost over a year learning from home during the coronavirus crisis.
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"It was my children's chance to have a voice," mom Alyson Segool said.
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Some children held signs to say what they miss the most, like, "I miss seeing and learning with all my friends!"
"My son Aidan wrote, 'I learn best in school,' 'cause that's for him a really big motto. This is really hard to learn myself, alone at home," Segool said.
Abby Murphy, a mom herself, is the photographer behind the project. She usually takes family and lifestyle photos, but wanted to document how trying the year of the coronavirus has been on kids.
She said it's been rewarding: "I decided to do what they we're missing…I'm so used to taking pictures of kids smiling, talking about how awesome their day is, I don't feel like we always stop and ask the kids … what are they missing?"
Rebecca Stronck, another North Andover mom, gets emotional when she reflects on her 8- and 10-year-olds' year.
"It's sleepless nights, anxiety-filled days. It runs the gamut," said Stronck. "I want my children back in school and I want my children's teachers who are incredible back in school, feeling safe and happy. It's where they all belong."
These parents said it was welcome news that teachers will soon be eligible to ge the vaccine, and they're hoping these photos will soon become a distant memory.
"I'm feeling very hopeful that things are headed in the right direction," Segool said.
The plan for returning to school is still being worked out right now in North Andover. Tentatively, grades K-5 will head back to school full-time on April 5.
