Teaching is hard. It always has been hard; it will always be hard. Teachers reading this post will understand what I mean. Anyone outside of teaching will never understand what our job entails. This last year of virtual teaching has made teaching even harder. And yet, we made it happen. As of the publishing of this post, my school is still operating virtually. I can’t speak for my colleagues, but I definitely have virtual teaching fatigue. I miss seeing my students in person. I miss the flexibility I have when I see that a lesson isn’t quite going the way I had hoped, or when I notice that a student needs something else from me to help make sense of a new skill or strategy. However, I have noticed that virtual teaching has helped my teaching in some ways. It seems impossible that anything good would come out of this challenging year, but I feel like I’ve grown to be a stronger, more compassionate educator.
Let me start off first with my improvement in using technology. I remember when I was in fifth grade in the mid-1980s and my class got one of the very first classroom computers. I have no idea what kind of computer it was, but I do remember there being a small green triangle on the monitor that was referred to as a “turtle.” I recall getting my turn to use the computer, and just sitting there not having any clue how the make the “turtle” move. I’ve always been more of a pen-and-paper girl anyway, so it never really bothered me that I wasn’t proficient in technology. I never felt like I needed the latest and greatest gadget. But, this last year has forced me out of my comfort zone. I now use Google Slides and Google Jamboard. I assign homework and classwork via Google Classroom. I’m even finding educational material on YouTube that I can share with my students! And now, I can see myself continuing to use them even after returning to the classroom in person. Using slides has helped me plan my lessons, and keep the lessons on track when I present them to students. And, I have been trying for years to reduce the paper load for homework! Hello, Google Classroom! I can’t even imagine how many trees have been saved since virtual teaching started.
As great as the technology has been, I can see the fatigue in my students. I can see the fatigue in their families. Getting kids back in classrooms has been a hot-button issue in my area, and I imagine it has been a topic of conversation and news stories in many places. We are all struggling with being on devices for long periods of time. Teaching virtually has made me much more aware of when my students need a break. I use brain breaks now to transition between lessons. I never used to do that before, but it’s a practice I want to continue once we’re back in our classroom.
How are all of you doing with virtually teaching? What will you take away from the experiences of this past year? I hope that whatever teaching situation you find yourselves in that you are taking care of yourselves. We’re making it through this crazy situation, and there is light at the end of the virtual teaching tunnel.
Until next time… Happy Teaching!
PinaRose Education 