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Thompson
ELKINS -- In some ways 2020 has been a good year for Cody Thompson, as he was reelected in November to a second term as a Democratic member of the West Virginia House of Delegates representing the 43rd District. However, like everyone else, he has been affected and troubled this year by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I have known many people who have tested positive" for COVID-19, Thompson told The Inter-Mountain. "Friends and colleagues here in West Virginia as well as across the country."
Thompson said 2020 has been a challenging year for him as both a politician and as a Randolph County public school teacher.
"COVID life has kept me very busy between constituent services as your delegate and teaching in-person, distance, and distance students without devices," he said.
Like many local teachers, Thompson said he "had to learn how to teach online pretty quickly with no background in online education."
He said he worked at home at one point this year "briefly when the governor shut down schools and ordered everyone to stay at home… Otherwise, since school has started we have worked five days a week."
Thompson noted that, like many other people in 2002, he had "a vacation planned and paid for that week and had to postpone. I'm hopeful that we will be able to go in 2021."
He said that the pandemic has definitely changed his shopping habits.
"Yes, I avoided going into larger stores like Walmart, I loaded up on groceries at Kroger, and I tried to shop more locally with small businesses because I know they've struggled this year," Thompson said.
He added that he's eaten out less this year "to a small extent but I didn't get a chance to eat out too often pre-COVID."
Thompson attended and graduated from Harman High School, Marshall University -- with a B.A. in secondary social studies education -- and West Virginia University -- with an M.A. in multi-categorical special education.
He has represented Randolph and Pocahontas counties in the legislature since 2018.