Pandemic Pedagogy
After 36 years in education, I thought I had seen everything there is to see, but like many people, I have not taught through a pandemic. Usually, I have a role as an instructional coach but as a result of parents being able to choose hybrid or distant learning for their children, I teach a few students online for a couple hours each day. Distant learning has proven to have many layers, most of which cannot be anticipated. There are typical internet challenges with lagging, glitching (pandemic vocabulary), issues with the internet, and getting kicked out of the learning platform.
On a typical day, I have one student who enters about an hour late. It does not matter who is speaking or what is happening, this student will “unmute” and loudly proclaim, “Sorry I am late! I had internet problems.” Another student does not turn on the camera or microphone and I suspect he turns his computer on and then plays video games. One day, this particular student had both the camera and the microphone turned on. He never looked at his computer as he was intently focused in another direction. I could see the blue and purple flashes of light streaming across his face. I said, “Andy, you need to turn off the video games and pay attention.” He replied without looking at me, “I am not playing a video game.” I said, “I can see the light flashing across your face!” He then turned his head to look at me with a look of shock on his face. Amazing.
The next day, I had to have a sub teach for me as I had a meeting to attend. Because of health and safety, substitute teachers had to come from our staff within the building. The gentleman who handles discipline and behavior issues happens to have a license to teach when needed. He and I had been communicating about the choices being made by this particular student, and when I asked him to teach for me, he said, “Don’t tell them I am coming. When Andy enters the room, he will get a surprise. I will tell him that as a result of his choices, I am the teacher.” It was a clever strategy with the desired outcome. Andy showed up to learn…well, for the next week anyway.
Since this whole thing started, we have all had to participate in safety routines including washing hands, social distancing, wearing masks, and using online platforms to conduct daily activities. Frustration levels continued to rage on as the pandemic quickly spread around the entire world. I know there are millions of teachers with stories similar to the one just told and some that are probably even more interesting.
The struggles are real for all of us but teachers are experiencing stress related to being responsible for the learning, and future learning of other people’s children. Gaps in student achievement resulting from unprecedented predicaments associated with distant and hybrid learning, have caused a great deal of concern of educators everywhere.
Spread kindness and gratitude throughout the schools. We will figure out what to do and how to respond. It is what teachers do. Because teaching is calling, not simply a career, it is distressing to know that because of uncontrollable conditions, our students are not learning what is needed. Adaptions to increase student learning will happen, and will happen quickly. Have faith and express your thanks.
