If you’re like me (and you probably are if you’re reading this), you hit the Remote Learning track running, going hard with new ideas, lessons and ways to connect and engage in unprecedented times.
If you’re like me (maybe you are, maybe you aren’t), you learned that everything just wasn’t sustainable.
In the first couple weeks of the Covid-19 pandemic, Twitter was full of schedules, activities, websites and blogs helping parents and teachers continue our kids’ education as best we can.
For me personally, I created a choice board that I blasted out to help families keep students engaged but not overwhelmed. I sent emails almost daily, checking in on families. I created four weeks’ worth of Daily Challenge videos, one each day, to keep students (and educators) motivated and focused on the important things.
But then the “learning” happened.
And by learning, I mean lesson planning (tons of it, to mitigate as much confusion as possible), and feedback (even more, most of which probably went ignored). For students, it meant disconnected work that probably seemed mostly meaningless.
In other words, I was pulling my hair out doing two of the worst parts of our jobs without any of the joy of why any educator gets into this profession in the first place: building relationships, connecting with students and helping them grow as people.
And students didn’t have it any better.
It was miserable.
And though I continued to strive to create meaningful lessons and hold Zoom “classes,” my enthusiasm waned.
Now, it’s over.
I’d rather not go back.
But if we have to in the Fall, I want to spend time now reflecting on what went well, what didn’t, and how I can do better the next time (God forbid there be a next time).
Most of us who did hit the ground running will fall into one of three categories. It’s important to reflect on this sooner than later. Because we all know how important timely feedback is.
You know, just in case.
Teacher 1: You hit the ground running, full of enthusiasm, finding new ways to engage students and creating dynamic lessons that kept students eager to learn. You continued this throughout Remote Learning, every week finding newer and better ways to do things.
If this is you, kudos. Stop what you’re doing right now and write a book about it. Or a blog post. And hit me up with it, because I want to learn from you.
And I’m sure there are some educators who did this, who every week found something new and exciting to try, and it worked. And the students couldn’t wait to get your assignments.
I’ll admit, I tried. But some weeks I just didn’t have it. Others, I thought I did, only to see ideas fall flat. It felt much like an actual school year, which brings me to…
Teacher 2: You hit the ground running, full of enthusiasm, finding new ways to engage students and creating dynamic lessons that kept student eager to learn. But over time, you settled into a Remote Learning rut (maybe groove?) that was sufficient. But you noticed student engagement and quality of work slowly waned.
Yes, this was me.
I had students creating presentations. I introduced them to Gimkit and Flipgrid. We were using Google Slides to create family trees.
But like an actual school year, it felt like a rut sometimes. I wasn’t always full of positive energy, and it showed in my work. Not that I didn’t try. But if I couldn’t give 110 percent every day, how could I expect my students to? Usually students can feed off my energy. Not remotely.
And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with this. My guess is, this is where most of us are. And that’s outstanding, given the circumstances. My neighbor spends two hours a day just staring at his lawn. During work hours.
You are not my neighbor.
Teachers, for some reason, feel like they have to give more than any other profession all the time, even when the world’s falling apart. But if this is where you landed, be proud. It’s why you’re an amazing teacher.
Teacher 3: You hit the ground running, full of enthusiasm, finding new ways to engage students and creating dynamic lessons that kept students eager to learn. But over time, you regressed back to what you were comfortable with, assigning texts to read and comprehension questions or worksheets to fill out. In other words, class became the same as it always is, you just didn’t get to see your students’ faces every day. No new lesson planning, just a few hours figuring out how to convert your text to PDF.
Here’s where the phrase “room to grow” enters into the equation.
I think we all want what’s best for our students always. And maybe this is what you’re comfortable with.
But if this is where you wound up, I’d suggest you find a co-worker or PLC this summer to gather some ideas and inspiration. There are tons of resources out there. And it can be intimidating. But maybe start with one activity a week.
And even if we do go back in the fall, you’ll have a much better activity that works even in the classroom.
Growth.
Teacher 4: You never had any enthusiasm.
I won’t get into this, because you haven’t read this far into my post.
But I will wish you luck.
All teachers need some luck from time to time.
Especially when dealing with Remote Learning.
Agree 100% as I too, while I am so tired and happy it is over, organized a share group with my staff this past week to do just this…what worked, what did not work, what should I explore this summer and learn more about that will help me in the future both in the classroom and God forbid, we end up back online for the start, duration or part of next year. I consider myself a pretty techie and resourceful person, but never have I felt more unprepared and I never want that to happen again. I also believe that added to the strain this spring was the stress of balancing learning with care for the student. Not that this is not something teachers should always be doing, but in this set of circumstances it was a true balancing act. We need to give ourselves as teachers the same grace and considerations as our students and families…it was an emotional rollercoaster at times, and while most days I could honestly say “I’m OK” and it was the truth, there were many days that sadness, anxiety, uncertainty…whatever you want to call it, took over.
My plan….this week I have jotted down some notes and things I plan to explore, but do not plan to look at them for a week or two….I need a hard break and a true refuel. I plan to feed my creative side, enjoy nature and organize my home.
After that, I am diving in. I have 3 professional books that I want to read…Edrenaline Rush, Math Recess and Innovate Inside the Box. I want to look hard at Google Level 1 certification because I think I spend too much time figuring things out and just need to sharpen my basic skills. I want to examine my curriculum, especially the first couple units, and decide what is essential and what could be accessed via practice or application of other skills. It is my thought (theory at this point) that we teach too much and that adds to strain and stress. Wondering if I teach fewer things better, would then students have the academic skills to build learning through application pathways. I think it is from this point that finding specific tools…Flipgrid, slides, quizizz, etc that will help me build my teaching for next year.
Finally…what I know I would do different. I do not think I spent enough time with my students. I did 2 drop in times per week and we had one large gathering per week. I left Mondays open for fielding questions on new work and Fridays were my data days where I charted student progress and sent home progress letters to every family. We sent out new work on Sunday evenings. The schedule worked, but I wonder if I would have had more small group times, maybe even allowing students to sign up to times (like through sign up genius) if I could have had a more impactful virtual time with students. I found it to get a bit crazy when I met with more than 5 at a time. I wish I had played more games, made more videos and extended more challenges, All things I will remember if, God forbid, there is a next time.