It was Friday. I was in a faculty meeting when we heard that schools were closing due to COVID-19. We had to recalculate our direction and plan to start virtual teaching the following Tuesday. I was teaching six Spanish classes to middle school kids. Great kids. I had been using a lot of technology in my classes and we had a class platform, so I thought: “This shouldn’t be so terrible”. Little did I know that we were at the beginning of an unprecedented pandemic that would make people sick, or worse, die. A pandemic that would change family routines and dynamics. A pandemic that would bring so much stress and uncertainty.
So, I found myself working at home teaching six classes online with my five-year-old taking his classes online, and my husband upstairs taking business calls and video conferences. Half of my students froze. Yes, they didn’t know how to navigate their classes, or they simply freaked out with all the demands. I knew I had to change my teaching and my curriculum if I wanted to get somewhere with those kids. Here is what I did:
- I reconsider how I evaluated them. Not all assessments have to be tests and quizzes. Video and audio posts, discussion threads, and projects became the norm.
- I reconsider attendance. A student was PRESENT if he or she was with me during our meetings OR if the student responded to the daily discussions and submitted the required daily assignments.
- I gave students options on how they wanted to do the work (video? audio? written? in groups?, etc).
- I provided a space for venting and chatting. We called it the cafeteria (it was just a page on our platform with room for discussions).
- I provided room for laughter and being goofy doing happy dances when they submitted all their weekly work, doing pajama parties on Fridays (yes, we did those), awarding badges to “the most disconnected”, “the most forgetful”, etc.
- I checked the “temperature” every day. No, not their body temperatures (we were distant), but their emotional temperature. Just with a simple “how are you feeling?”, “show me one to five fingers if…”, or a joke, I could tell if they were ready to work or not.
- I checked on them individually on a weekly basis. One hundred and ten of them. My class platform made it easier for me to just click their names and send a message (short but sweet).
These are some of the things that worked for me. Was it perfect? Nope. But we manage to finish the year with my sanity and their love for Spanish. Will it work for you? I don’t know. Every teacher and students are different. The common denominator here is:
CARING + REFLECTION + LAUGHTER + TRIAL AND ERROR. I hope this helps you and I am praying for every single one of you while we navigate this unique teaching existence.