We got the notice yesterday; the one that I’ve been expecting from my school district for quite some time.
To School District Families and Staff: Due to the increasingly high level of COVID-19 in our county, we will not be pursuing in-person instruction at this time and will extend our remote learning plan through January 2021.
One might think that, as a teacher, this announcement upset me. That it was met with frustration or immense disappointment, but one would assume wrong.
What I actually felt was relief.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I didn’t become a teacher to stare at a computer screen all day. I didn’t get into education so I could NOT see my students in person. I mean, if the job I am currently doing at this moment in time was the job that I knew I was getting into all those years ago when I declared a major, you better bet your bottom that I would have declared, “Heck no!” and ran for the hills.
No, I didn’t become a teacher to teach like this. But I am a teacher, so I will teach through this.
If I could snap my fingers and have my students safely back in my classroom like normal, I would. But that's not what’s on the table right now. Going “hybrid” would be the next step for our district. While perhaps I should be flattered that administrators and the general public seem to think that teachers hold near supernatural abilities to be omnipresent and stop time in order to add hours to the day, what I actually feel regarding hybrid instruction is panic and anxiety.
No thank you.
While I’m longing for the days of old when I can hug and high-five and read to my students from my rocking chair in the cozy corner of my classroom, I’m in no rush to participate in this wonky version of in-person instruction that still offers little of what learning really should be: personal interaction.
I will unapologetically say that I am happy to stay in this remote learning environment for a bit longer while I safely connect with my students and continue to better my craft as a teacher. In a time when I am hearing so many complaints about online teaching, I have to admit that there are some real perks that I am loving.
Here are some of the reasons why I love remote learning:
I have become a “techspert”
I have been forced to learn things that I probably never would have pushed myself to learn. True, I have spent hours — days, even — watching tutorials, and scouring YouTube for tech tips, but these newfound skills that I have in my toolbox were not learned in vain. I will use most, if not all, of this new knowledge in the future. It has made me better.
I feel close to my co-teachers
There's nothing like facing a common struggle to bring people together. During this time of uncertainty and being bombarded with expectations and no answers, the one constant has been my fellow teachers. We have had one another’s backs, shared resources, and offered emotional support to one another. We have kept one another afloat, and I am eternally grateful.
I get a glimpse into my students’ lives
While these kiddos are not physically in my classroom with me, I am close to them in a different kind of way this year. I intentionally am getting to know them through small groups and fun sharing. In some ways I feel like I understand them even better than I usually do because I see the inside of their houses, their learning setups. They show me their dog and their little sister. Seeing this intimate part of their lives helps me understand why they are the way they are, and I feel bonded with them in a different way.
I get to be involved in my own kid’s learning
In my school, I have the flexibility of bringing my son to school with me to do remote learning from my classroom. While this poses some additional challenges, it has also been really amazing getting to be a part of his school life. He is here to be my assistant during live science lessons and has gotten to know my teacher friends. The days that he comes to school with me are special, and we will both remember them forever.
Innovation is my middle name
Teachers are nothing if not adaptable. While far from ideal, remote learning has challenged me to be innovative and figure out ways to accomplish the vital parts of my job in this limited environment. I’m proud of the teacher I have become.
In the end, this will end
There will, once again, be students' butts in the seats of my classroom, and I will never again take that for granted. I will look back on this year and the boxes that held my students faces on the screen, and I will remember three things:
It was very hard.
It was very worth it.
It made me better.