Pflugerville band teacher creates bubble to teach in-person classes

Using some PVC pipe and clear shower curtain liners, a Pflugerville ISD band teacher created his very own personal protection bubble to teach in-person classes.

PFLUGERVILLE, Texas - Using some PVC pipe and clear shower curtain liners, a Pflugerville ISD band teacher created his very own personal protection bubble to teach in-person classes.

Michael Sneed, one of the Associate Band Directors at Kelly Lane Middle School, says he loves what he does, but the pandemic has changed things.

“Some days it's actually hard to like go to work. I think I go to work probably scared most days because I'm thinking is this going to be the day I can contract something or another student does,” said Sneed.

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That fear hasn't stopped him from teaching. He says he’s been teaching band for 13 years and can’t imagine doing anything else, but he can imagine doing it in a safer way.

Sneed said he originally wanted the district to get Plexiglass dividers for each student, but it would have cost PfISD too much money to get those dividers for every classroom in the district. Sneed says it was time to move on to Plan B.

“I got some PVC pipe, I used our stands, and then I used some shower curtain liner,” said Sneed. Sneed said he got all the supplies from a hardware store and built the whole enclosure in about two hours.

“I planned it one day, I picked up the materials on my lunch break, and then I put it together after school one day. It's a PVC pipe and it's a shower curtain liners that are clear and I used clear packing tape,” he said.

Sneed created his very own protective enclosure that he and the other band directors teach in-person classes from. He does admit it's weird, but it makes him feel safe.

“This is one of the most unique, strange, challenging and hardest experiences I've ever been through in my life,” said Sneed.

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