At this point, most Western PA teachers have been conducting at least a portion of this school year’s instruction online for a week or two, in addition to teaching online at the end of the 2019-2020 school year. This is the perfect time for me to provide the second installment of my discussion of remote learning for the brick-and-mortar teacher.
When I first began teaching online in 2012, I had never even entertained the idea and really didn’t know what it was all about. Very early on, I felt overwhelmed, unprepared, and generally consumed with imposter syndrome. What was I doing? I didn’t know enough about web design to create high-quality instructional content. And I certainly couldn’t keep up with the high amount of prep time needed while still reading and honoring IEPs; grading papers with the high degree of feedback I felt was more necessary than ever online; and responding to the higher-than-ever volume of incoming emails and phone calls from parents who had objections to or questions about curriculum items, assignments, or students’ grades.
I’ve been teaching online ever since, and if you’re feeling those same feelings--overwhelmed and unprepared--I want to send you a reassuring message: this does get easier.
Preparing to write this, I asked a number of colleagues who teach online what they wish they’d known when they started teaching online. Here are the main points of intersection of our responses:
You Can’t Cyber-ize Brick and Mortar Teaching
Trying to have a class discussion via Zoom the same way you do in a classroom will likely feel awkward, hollow, and even futile, but there are features of video conferencing platforms that afford new possibilities. Take advantage of them! Students who would never interrupt someone in person, let alone online, might become chatterboxes in the chat box.
This is just one example, but think about how enforcing dress codes, asking students to raise their hands, using bell-ringers or exit tickets, or upholding other standard parts of classroom teaching either don’t make sense in a virtual classroom or would benefit from adjustment.
Communication is Queen and Caregivers are Colleagues
Without fail, everyone I talked to said they spent exponentially more time on communication with caregivers when teaching online compared to in a brick-and-mortar setting. We are on the phone, emailing, even using instant messaging tools or post cards in the mail to reach our families. If you can’t see what your students are doing, their caregivers at home may be able to. They can keep their children off of Fortnite and logged into Google Classroom if you just keep the lines of communication open.
As an English teacher, it’s been very important for me to be proactive and talk to caregivers. You may experience a higher rate of objections to stories, novels, or even writing assignments or discussion topics. The parents haven’t necessarily gotten pickier; the curriculum has just become more accessible to them.
I’ve started using Smore for family outreach and have started a monthly newsletter that fills caregivers in on thematic units and specific texts, but even just a plain old email will help you to keep caregivers informed. If they feel you’re being transparent with them, they’ll be less likely to object.
Set Healthy Boundaries
Working from home, although a privilege from a public health point of view, is perhaps the most insidious component of remote teaching for many. It’s easy for work-life balance to become an afterthought when your work computer is casting its electric-blue glow on the wall in the room adjoining your bedroom.
Teachers are notorious for our struggle with work-life balance. The problem is so widespread we often tire of the old cliche that “you can’t fill another’s cup if yours is empty.”
The fact of the matter is, though, that we are all living through a pandemic right now and many of us are teaching in new, unfamiliar, and exhausting ways. It is more important than ever to have a boundary between when you’re “on the clock” and when you’re off. Set a time every evening after which you do not work, forbid yourself from checking emails on the weekends, or make time to take walks during the day.
You’ll hear more about self-care in future WPCTE posts, but, especially if you’re working from home right now, find a way to keep work from creeping into every part of your life.
I started with the message that this will get easier, but it bears repeating. I invite you again to find someone who has taught online or in a blended fashion and leverage their expertise (you can find me on Twitter if you need a starting point). Trust, too, that, in time, you’ll develop this expertise yourself.
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