We are winding down our 2019-2020 school year. It has definitely been an interesting year. We started with a new administration in our building and ended teaching online since Friday, March 15. Hard to believe our last “normal” school day was Friday the 13th.
Online Learning Can Be Done
Our staff didn’t have much time to make the switch to online learning. We did find out quickly that online learning can be done thanks to technology. We are also thankful that our students are technology natives. They have been born with technology and devices all around them.
It is Harder Than the Classroom
I thought that being the computer teacher that online teaching was going to be easy peasy. Boy, I was so wrong. I have worked way harder than in the classroom. I had to create step-by-step tutorials, help students turn assignments in, create a website, and field hundreds of emails daily. It was hard for me that I couldn’t be right there with my students to show them how to put a spreadsheet together and answer their immediate questions.
Missing Personal Connections
I have missed seeing my students. Yes, I have missed seeing my most challenging students too. I miss giving them a wink or a smile or a hug. I miss having students coming into my classroom (even during my lunchtime) just to help them get their computer case back on. I miss helping a student who is in tears because her best friend doesn’t like her and telling her that things will be OK and make her smile again. It’s these personal connections online teaching just can’t compare.
If We Have to Do it Again…
It is hard for me to not compare myself with other teachers. I see teachers on the news or my Facebook feed going above and beyond to reach their students. And here I am at my house, no zoom meetings, no gifts left at student’s doorsteps, no reading books online, no screen recordings uploaded to YouTube. I just uploaded the assignments to Schoology and Google Classroom and waited for anyone who needed help through email. So if I was to do it over again, I would like to be more involved with my students. I need to think outside of the box to connect in a special way with my students. This summer I will be researching and thinking of ways I can do that for my kiddos.
We don’t know yet if we are going to start the 2020-2021 school year normally. It is up to our governor to let us know about that. Our school has narrow hallways with over 400 students and staff walking through them. Social distancing will be very difficult in our building. We will know much more towards the end of July and early August. I pray we can get to some sort of “new normal” by then.