The Teachers Are Not All Right
Pandemic teaching has flipped classroom teaching upside down
Dear Teachers,
So how does it feel teaching sideways in an upside down world? First of all, thank you for bravely showing up during an unprecedented time of crisis and working hard to reach your students in a new way. Your dedication means more now in this upside down world than ever before. I know you did not ask for this change. You miss seeing your students in your classrooms. Your students miss you, and your students’ parents really, really miss you. Video conferencing can help take some of the distance away, but this introduction to distance learning happened overnight without a clear plan.
I am writing to give you a socially distanced virtual hug. And to the parents and guardians who have been thrown into a teaching role, this is for you as well. From someone who has 15 years of experience in education (the last 12 years teaching online), what is happening with teaching right now is not giving you an accurate window into the possibilities of thoughtfully crafted online learning. And while this is not okay, it is understandable. It can also be fixed with time and experienced leadership. So do not despair.
What we have now is not what I call “online teaching.” What we have now is an honest attempt to teach from a distance in a panic. This is “crisis teaching.” Quality online teaching does not look or feel like this. It is not created haphazardly in a reaction to a pandemic. It is not Zooming all day long. This pandemic is disorienting enough all by itself. And then we add online teaching to the mix! Teachers, I see you, I hear you, and I want to tell you — it can and will get better.
I (thankfully) did not begin my online education journey during a pandemic. In 2008, I took a leap into online teaching after a long, detailed application process and an in-person interview with two men who arrived wearing Hawaiian shirts. Needless to say, overdressed in my interview suit, I questioned if this whole online teaching world was real and legitimate. The new online school they were launching needed someone to teach AP English and English III American Literature. I would be teaching through live, synchronous classes broadcast across the state and also through asynchronous lessons I created in the online learning management system. I left the July interview and received a call on the drive home that I was hired. I was excited for this new journey yet knew little about online pedagogy at the time.
I left my traditional classroom and over the next seven years found myself wearing several different hats within the online education world, while also working on my doctorate in education. Not only did I become an online teacher and gain experience in synchronous and asynchronous online teaching, but I also served as department head where I loved working with our team of teachers. I created new course content aligned with state and national standards and eventually led live, interactive, national professional development sessions for hundreds of online teachers.
From someone who moved into virtual teaching serendipitously, I remember how lost I felt when making the transition. I survived and even thrived, and I want to help you do the same. There is one role that is so powerful that it connects us all across the globe, and that is the role of the teacher. Teaching continues to be at the heart of everything I do and create. So below I am sharing my PSA for teachers trying to not only survive but thrive during this pandemic:
Tips for Online Teaching During the Pandemic
1. Don’t Panic
What is happening with education right now is being called different phrases by different people: “online learning,” “distance learning,” “virtual learning,” “e-learning,” “teleschool,” “at home learning,” and more. What I see is reactionary learning or what I call “crisis learning.” After years of transitioning traditional education online, I have found many educators have a tendency to overload content and add on too much work. Well-meaning teachers and school leaders may encourage this overloading, sometimes in an attempt to maintain rigor. However, there is a learning curve with transferring your teaching to the online space. There is a common misconception (from all levels of Pre-K to higher education) that the quantity of assignments indicates the quality of learning. If you have found yourself piling on work for your students, you may be making your life harder than necessary and your students’ lives harder as well. This new way of teaching necessitates a redesign of traditional education.
2. Create a Learning Plan and Reassess the Plan Often
You might think this is just another time of planning lessons in a document with specific steps and days clearly outlined in a calendar format. That is a great start. However, you need to be realistic and not push too much when teaching from a distance. The overloading of material and assignments defeats the purpose of meaningful learning and creates unnecessary stress for all involved. The opposite, having too little content, should also be considered. You need to find a balance. Consider feedback from students, families, colleagues, school leaders, and your own mental health. Pause and reflect often. In the midst of this pandemic and crisis teaching, ask yourself: What is working well? What is working somewhat well? What is really not working well? Be honest. Don’t be afraid to make changes. Make adjustments bravely knowing that everyone is in a similar crisis teaching boat right now.
3. Remember to Wear Pants
People laughed when I said I was going to write this letter to teachers and mention how important it is to wear pants, especially when using Zoom. Why pants you might be wondering? I don’t mean to imply any socially constructed dress/pants standard based on gender. I am talking about simply getting dressed (all the way!) and wearing appropriate clothing. I should clarify that it can help your teaching mindset to wear clothing similar to what you would wear in a classroom environment. You know that old “dress for success” saying? That can affect how you feel even when you are working from a distance. Of course, you can still be a bit more relaxed, but try putting on real clothes sometimes. This morning I was streaming a radio station, and I heard the radio personality talking about how he finally got dressed in “real” non-pajama clothes for the first time in three weeks just to get the mail. He shared how much that simple change made him feel better. I find this to be true when working from home for an extended time period. And while I am sure you have very cute pajamas, it might be helpful to get dressed most days and keep your professional approach somewhat intact.
4. Create Community in Small Ways
Keep and share your sense of humor with your students. If you have already lost your sense of humor, then go find it! I would be happy to send you something funny. I know I said don’t wear your pajamas everyday to work, but what is powerful is seeing teachers have spirit days with their students. If you meet online, consider having small but meaningful opportunities to show your silly side in appropriate ways. Crazy hair day, pajama day, school spirit day, joke day, bring your pet to the end of live class day, etc. I have played songs for students in my online classes, and we have shared many funny stories. These simple light-hearted moments can spark happiness in your students’ lives that they will remember beyond the days of this pandemic.
5. Establish a Sense of Structure for Yourself
Being home all day and working from home means you are likely experiencing a blurring of the boundaries between work and home. If you have a spouse and/or kids, this becomes even more challenging to navigate. You need to establish some kind of workable structure with your time and where/how you do your work. Create a schedule for yourself with some office hours and any video conferencing meetings you may have. Make a sign that says “Office Hours” and hang it by your workspace as a visual cue to your family when you need to do your work. As for a space, a home office is great (I am lucky to have one), but you can even designate a corner to be a temporary workspace. I have a friend using a closet to teach her fifth graders right now. That may not sound ideal, but you do what you need to do during a pandemic. To help you stay focused, make lists and cross things off as you complete them. I make monthly, weekly, and daily lists to help stay organized. I also edit those lists as needed (see #2). If you are not a list maker, then find a process that works to keep you focused and completing tasks each day. Remember, even baby steps count.
6. Take Care of Yourself
This may not be the life you used to have, but you need to make time for self-care. Maybe you wake up an hour earlier to have quiet time or work time or dance time or yoga time or axe throwing time. Whatever it may be, it is important for you to stop and take care of yourself. Drink water. Have a cup of coffee or tea. Eat something to sustain you. Be mindful of how much news you are digesting. Watch a funny video or five. Write in a journal. Go for a drive or socially distant walk. Video chat with a friend. Play an instrument even if you think you can’t. Put air in your tires and ride your bike like you did a decade ago. Do something to take care of yourself every day. Do something to remind yourself that you do matter. Because you do.
7. Consider Your Students
Think about what your students really need right now. Look, we all know this pandemic has thrown teachers into the virtual and distance learning abyss. You have standards to cover and objectives to meet. While that is true, it is also important to have balance and remember your students were not planning for this disruption and may have challenging lives at home. There may be a lack of appropriate supervision, technology access/resources, emotional support, food, or other basic needs. Your academic lessons are important, and they can provide a much needed sense of structure and accomplishment. However, please also remember the important life lessons you can share — lessons of grace, resilience, and laughter. These are lessons that your students and their families may need during such an uncertain time. These hopeful lessons are likely to be remembered for years to come. This time is a profound opportunity to build strength in your students and empower them from a distance.
8. Start With Where YOU Are
If you are like me, you are receiving many emails with links to apps and lessons promising to answer all your distance learning questions. They sound a lot like this: “Pandemic got you down? Come to our webinar! Use our app! Sign up for free. We love teachers!” They have big promises, and it feels as if they have the new ed-tech vaccine to the distance learning pandemic. Then in the small print you see the somewhat alarming subscription pricing and notice the company’s lack of any quality online teacher education background. And while they may have a wonderful product, you are right to question it. The best resources are those who have taught long enough to have permanent teacher lines across their foreheads. I trust the teachers with the forehead lines and the stories that coincide with how they earned those teacher badges of honor. Start with what you already know. Start with the one or two apps that make sense to you and your students. Stay basic for now. I am working on another article describing the best online apps and strategies for online teaching, but in the meantime, the best ones to use in a pandemic are the ones you already know how to use.
9. There is Beauty in the Darkness
Tell your brain to listen to your heart. It may not be logical to think like this, but it is one of the truest things I have learned in my lifetime. Every dark moment has something new and beautiful glimmering deep within the shadows. This time of uncertainty will inspire and reveal incredible connections and innovations. There is a huge opportunity to redesign education in our country and throughout our world. Since falling into distance learning 12 years ago, I have envisioned a time when this could happen and would dream of how to implement it. I was not sure it would be in my lifetime. It took a pandemic to force open our minds and pre-set ideas of classrooms to get virtual education rolling at such a universal speed. I used to wonder when people would be ready for online learning, and now I have the answer. Now it is certain. The time is now. The classroom doors are not only open — they are nonexistent. Ready or not, virtual education is here.
10. Remember — We Have Each Other
We are all doing this from a distance, yet together, all across the world. This is a new time, a new way of life, a new way of teaching, a new way of learning. Take your dedication and love for teaching from before all this happened and transfer it. We need your energy and passion. Keep your teaching heads up and remember the power you have in reaching so many at this delicate time. We need you, and we need each other.
And if you are not a teacher reading this, please remember that the teachers are not okay right now. Now is the time to thank a teacher in your community.
