When I think back to school as a student, I think about how each class had its own rules and expectations. I think back to how different teachers allowed different behaviors, and I adjusted to each class. I knew what I could get a way with: I could sit sideways in or write in green ink in Spanish. Geometry I could pick my seat, Algebra II I could write on the back of my papers as long as I skipped lines, pre-calculus looking straight ahead and taking notes the entire time, because she was erasing as she was going and computer science laughing and collaboration was acceptable as long as you were getting your programs done and they were working. This was flexibility on my part as a student. These differences in personalities and teaching prepared me for jobs and college. At the grocery store bakery, broken cookies weren’t acceptable to sell (either were the thumbprint cookies with smashed icing). Leaving your work station clean for the next person, completing all the tasks on your list, being at work on time, being kind to the customers (even when they come in 5 minutes before you shut down and you’ve just cleaned the slicer and they don’t want the already cut meat, they want “just a few slices ” of the liverwurst…- truly the “wurst”). One thing I don’t remember from my time as a student is massive amounts of time out of school. We had an ice storm that took out power for 8 days (I’ve always lived in hurricane territory – we don’t do ice or snow or ice storms or cold…) I only remember 1 hurricane evacuation. I definitely don’t remember a pandemic. As a student, I remember being concerned about (in no particular order): test dates, dates, research papers, twirling routines, job schedules, homework, babysitting, friends, cafeteria cinnamon rolls and jump splits. Why jump splits? We had a few routines that ended with a jump split – land it wrong and you could be hurt, fake land it (with a crooked knee) and everyone could see – neither one of those were circumstances I wanted to be in on the 40 yard line of the football field. So what did I do? I stretched, I challenged myself, and I worked hard and I had a great jump split (not sure how it would look now, but…)
As a matter of perspective, teaching during a pandemic/hurricane evacuation/hurricane recovery is like a jump split.
1. Somebody else decided you needed to do it – no choice
2. Fake it and everyone will know – there was camera proof in the 90’s, we have social media now
3. Challenge your self to stretch and reach and eventually you will be great
EVENTUALLY – it works alongside flexibility because the results don’t happen over night
We will have bad days where nothing works in the dance routine and you want to give up. Instead, you stretch (reflect on what worked and what didn’t), adjust and try again. You push yourself a little more and try something new, again. We started off the split on mats, move to grass, then only counting out the routine, next using the music at half speed and then at full speed. Last you move to the hard gym floor. You adjust your feet depending on the shoes you are wearing and the flooring (grass) you are on. What works in your room may not work in the other teacher’s and vice versa. We adjust our classrooms for the things we can control and the things we can’t.
Eventually doesn’t mean immediate and it doesn’t mean perfection. It also doesn’t mean perfection immediately.
This is starting my 19th year to teach. We have been through numerous hurricanes – Rita, Ike, Harvey, Imelda, Laura (plus the little ones like Humberto or even ones like Katrina that brought evacuees to us). We’ve had river flooding and a snow day (seriously- like 6 inches that stayed for a whole day!). And now we’ve had Corona – in all of these situations the way school looks has changed, whether it be by building location, time at school and now by virtual. Being flexible has to be my superpower (all teachers have it, really) – not because that was my goal, but because that was my reality.
Adjusting during a pandemic can look like: (These are ones that worked in my classroom – they may not work in yours or you might come up with something better- Share if you did!)
1. Do my students really need to practice 20 of the same type of math problems?
– No, BUT you might want to find a way to have them explain what they did on maybe 5-10 (depending on type)
– It’s ok for them to do a problem “like mom said” but have them use words (written or spoken) on what they did – papers can be scanned or pictures sent in
– Encourage the use of flashcards, sites like Quizlet to encourage good study skills on things that need rote memorization (math facts, prepositions, history facts, science vocabulary…)
2. How can I “see” my students and talk with them?
– Flipgrid – I loved this opportunity for my students to share with me a quick 30 second video on how they were doing or how to do a math problem or how they are using math during the quarantine
3. How can they fill in the blank on a worksheet or notes?
– turn your worksheet into a picture file, put it as the background on a slide (PPT or google), then add textboxes for them to complete
4. How can I explain things to them? To an individual student? A small group?
– Flipgrid works great for explanations when you want the students to talk back to you
– Screencastify (5 minutes) and Screen-cast-o-matic (15 minutes) will allow you to create short videos of your screen and your voice – (use a white board option and write away for math lessons, have the websites pulled up for other lessons )
– Teams and Zoom work great for small group settings
5. How can they read the story? Accommodations?
– YouTube, SchoolTube – there is probably a teacher already reading to their kids online – create your own OR have them create their own videos and sound recording
6. How can they collaborate with other students?
-Microsoft Teams to share documents, sharing pages in class notebooks. Students can share documents (Google and Microsoft) and both be modifying the same document at the same time
7. We are a Google school? Microsoft school?
– USE BOTH – it is OK to use tools from both and other sources – Be flexible
One last piece of advice – don’t be afraid for something to not go as planned…. sometimes it’s not so good… other times it works out better than expected.
Teaching Re-Imagined 