Teaching during a global pandemic is hard enough.
Throw in trying to get pregnant through IVF as well as trying to avoid catching the coronavirus.
That is what Prospect North Primary School teacher Casey Gouk has been dealing with over the past two years.
Although it’s been tough, it has also been well worth the ride, with Casey and her partner welcoming their daughter, Emma Rose Caputo into the world late in 2020.
Gouk is another one of our frontline workers set to receive access to a complimentary ticket to the Crows’ Round Seven match against GWS at Adelaide Oval.
It is part of the Crows’ way of saying thank you to public sector nurses, doctors, paramedics, police officers, human services frontline workers and teachers for their work during the pandemic.
Speaking to AFC Media, Gouk said the past two years had been an emotional rollercoaster.
“It has been a little bit tricky, 2020 was really hard because obviously Covid hit,” Gouk said.
“But then during that year, we also went through IV with Emma, so we had a double whammy of trying to get pregnant and then also trying to keep the students calm.
“A lot of the emotion of going through IVF I had to leave at the front door because the students were really apprehensive about what Covid meant.”
Gouk worked Term One last year before going on maternity leave.
She then returned to the classroom at the start of this year and has since faced more challenges.
“Covid has hit our school this year really, really hard,” Gouk said.
“They shut my class down for a week because the cases in our class were just exploding.
“Then I caught Covid, Emma caught Covid, so it was tough.
“I think the exhaustion of teaching and then having a baby and then being exposed to Covid on top of that made it really, really tricky.”
Gouk is an avid Crows supporter and says she is looking forward to cheering on the team from the stands at Adelaide Oval this weekend.
She said the Club’s decision to give frontline workers access to free tickets was “amazing”.
“I like to come to the football but it’s obviously really tricky with a baby so as soon as I found out that I was able to come, I put my hand up.
“It’s such a good way of giving back to those who have been on the frontline since 2020 and have had to deal with the pandemic in their professional life and then it’s impacted on their personal life.”
Public sector workers will also have the opportunity to purchase two more tickets at half price, while having the option of attending a second home game later in the season.
Frontline workers should have received an email with details on how they can register their interest in the initiative, which is being supported by the South Australian Government.
Adelaide plays GWS at Adelaide Oval on Saturday at 1.40pm.