Distance learning, more connection

“Hi ho! Hi ho! It’s off to work I go!” I whistle while taking my coffee into my home office ready to start my first class at 7:15 each morning. When I first got the word that my school was going to start off the school year all virtual, I was not only relieved that I would feel safe from contracting the coronavirus, but also because I felt confident in blended learning.

But all that turned upside down as it settled in exactly how I would be teaching Spanish online. Having my lessons and instructions based in a Google Slides presentation while helping in person is one thing, but how would I check students’ work when I can’t see it? What would I do with those days when I’ve relied on reinforcement from a textbook or other printed resource? How would I recognize my students if and when we return to the building?

After I took a deep breath, I set about thinking about what processes I’ve used as a veteran teacher and how I could keep those consistent for my online classes. I also thought about what continuity would look like for my students—from setting up my Bitmoji classroom to how I start class to how I take clarifying questions. Though this year has had its challenges, for sure, I have felt like it’s invigorated my practice because I’ve been able to think outside the box and use tools I haven’t considered before. Though there’s so much that Teacher Twitter has talked about this school year, I took another deep breath and had to remind myself that I don’t have to be an expert in everything all at once.

Despite the challenges of teaching online and preparing all of my resources while teaching virtually, I’m loving teaching from home. And on a personal note, my sons are loving learning from home, too.

First off, I love using my Bitmoji classroom. I have a specific slide for my objectives, another for when I present vocabulary or have links, and each one has a whiteboard graphic where I put my text, much like I would have in my own classroom. In each case, I’m intentional to not overload my students with extra text, so each slide forces me to distill which information is essential to the lesson, which, in turn, helps me focus on the objective.

Next, I am really enjoying working with Microsoft Teams for assignments and feedback. I feel like my New (School) Year’s Resolution has perennially been to provide better and quicker feedback for students, and Teams has allowed me to do that because in using the Class Notebook, I can easily send students work and review it, much like I would hand out papers or check their physical notebooks. I can also type way faster than I could write a handwritten note on their papers, which means I can be on top of grades and students’ progress.

Finally, I love how close I am to my students and parents through messaging. In the past, I’ve had students e-mail me, which often turned into a lesson on e-mail etiquette and sometimes confusion as I tried to read their entire message that they put in the Subject line without having a body message. But with our school using Teams, students have felt comfortable in sending me a question, where I’m not so sure they would have asked that question in front of their peers. Additionally, I’ve texted each parent using my Google Voice account to update them about their students’ progress, so if there’s any concern or praise, I can do a quick search and fire off that message. Parents also text more regularly to check in as they know how this can be a challenging time for students.

This year has been challenging in so many ways, but the best thing I’ve seen has been increased creativity, flexibility, and connection. And to me, that’s what school should be.