“I was so close to 5-8,” she said. “I just barely missed it. I was ready for outdoor. I usually jump better outdoors. Jumping 5-8 indoors showed me I was close. I could get it.”
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Rachek never got the chance. Her senior season and her career ended March 12 when sports across the country stopped because of the coronavirus pandemic. A number of athletes at the University of Dayton have a similar story. Rachek could return next season, but she’s completing her degree in early childhood education this spring and will focus on landing a teaching job.
“I thought about (returning) a little bit,” Rachek said, “but it really doesn’t make sense with my major.”
The COVID-19 crisis also interrupted her student-teaching experience. She was working with third graders at Brantwood Elementary in the Mad River Local Schools district. She continues to work with a teacher there and helps with outlines for online classes, but there’s only so much she can do online with kids that age.
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“I had been in that classroom since August off and on,” Rachek said, “and I officially started soloing in February. That’s when I was just beginning to teach the whole day.”
Rachek had plenty of time to form relationships with the kids, but didn’t get to see them again when schools around Ohio closed in March.
“I miss them so much,” she said. “I’m so sad I didn’t get to say goodbye.”
Since leaving campus in March, Rachek has been home with her family. She’s applying for teaching jobs in third and fourth grade. Most schools start hiring in May, though everything has been thrown off by the pandemic.
“I’m not super worried,” she said. “There’s always substitute teaching. I’ve heard from my professors and previous UD alumni that they got their jobs in August. I’m just waiting.”
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