Two science teachers have been absent due to paternity leave. Substitutes have had to take the absent teachers positions for the past few months. They will both be coming back to school within the next few months. Mr. Krienen is one of the two teachers that has been absent since the start of school.

This summer, Mr. Krienen, a chemistry teacher, had a daughter. He has been gone for three months so far. He is expected to be back after Thanksgiving.

“The experience of being able to spend time with my baby has been amazing. I am so happy that I was able to stay home during this time because it gave me peace of mind knowing that I could be there to take care of my daughter. There were certainly tough parts like small amounts of sleep at times and dealing with issues, but it has definitely been one of the best experiences of my life,” Krienen said.

Mr. Krienen has had lots of time to bond with his daughter. Due to Covid, he and his wife were able to adjust to being home all the time and finding things to do.

“My wife and I loved spending time going for walks and cooking during COVID’s shutdown, so we knew that the time together was going to be awesome. Another amazing thing is hearing our daughter giggle and laugh. The first few times it was just surreal and wonderful. Now, we try to get her to laugh as much as we can,” Krienen said.

Although his time spent with his family has been well spent, he is also looking forward to coming back to his students and teaching.

“It’s a weird feeling of missing teaching because I love it, but not wanting to leave my wife and daughter. I don’t want to be apart from them, but I am excited to be teaching again.”