How many hats can you wear at once?
Balance hasn't been a hallmark of my life. It's tough - parenting, being a wife, being a daughter, being a friend, being a teacher, being a student.. Those are a lot of hats, and I've worn them all at once, as have many, many other people. I'm not saying this is unique to me. But when we wear that many hats, one may tip slightly, thus setting all the ones above it at an angle. We adjust as needed, right?
That's kind of how I feel right now. I don't know that I'm balancing anything well, but I'm trying.
We aren't the only ones trying to balance. These students of ours are trying to figure out how to balance virtual learning with what their famililies need of them. For some students, that's a big load to bear. Some parents require a great deal of their older students, who are helping younger ones with work, providing babysitting service, doing a great deal around the home, and even more. I'm not sure if this is more than usual for some of them. The virtual learning just provides a different bump.
Self-motivation plays into that balance. We're hearing from a great number of students - middle school age - that self-motivation is a struggle for them. Let's be serious. It is for me, too. Dusting? Oh, here, let me check Facebook again . . . Walk the dog . . . make a dessert . . . I hate to dust. And for students who aren't crazy about doing work, motivation is a HUGE issue. How do they balance something they love - science, math - with something they may not (which often is my subject (ELA)? Physically being in a classroom provides that structure we often need to achieve balance and motivation. Helping our students find it is important - but if they aren't answering emails and/or calls, it's a struggle for me to help.
So what can we do as teachers?
**We can remember these are kids. I don't care how old they are - 5 or 15. These are kids. They don't have some of the coping skills we, as adults, do. We need to honor that. We need to provide strategies - giving them a potential schedule. for example - to help them manage their time and not be overwhelmed.
**We must acknowledge that school may not be their biggest priority right now. We have to honor what their families are requiring of them. I had a student email me, upset, because he missed an optional Zoom meeting, but he had to watch younger siblings. "Family comes first," I assured him, and I told him I missed him, but I'd see him the next week. These kids are being pulled in many different directions, and we need to not add to that stress but what we require.
**Less is more. Seriously. There's so much I do in my classroom that these students won't experience. Can I tell you how sad that makes me? But we aren't in normal times. It's ok that some things slide.
**What is essential? Our district went from "traditional" grades to standards-based grading, or what we call evidence-based learning. We looked at all the standards and chose the ones we believe are essential for students to master. We report their progress on these (but trust me, they aren't all we teach). If you are still trying to get all you'd teach this semester taught, please look at it carefully. What is the most important for students to get?
**Remember, not all students are going to "get" it. We have students who are participating minimally. We have other students who aren't participating (and we are reaching out to them - admin, counselors and teachers, as well as reaching out to their families).
Our district has hit the midway point of virtual teaching. We've got four weeks left. We cannot look at where we'd be in normal circumstances. We have to know this is brand new territory. It's a hat we've never worn, but we can and we will wear it well.
That's kind of how I feel right now. I don't know that I'm balancing anything well, but I'm trying.
We aren't the only ones trying to balance. These students of ours are trying to figure out how to balance virtual learning with what their famililies need of them. For some students, that's a big load to bear. Some parents require a great deal of their older students, who are helping younger ones with work, providing babysitting service, doing a great deal around the home, and even more. I'm not sure if this is more than usual for some of them. The virtual learning just provides a different bump.
Self-motivation plays into that balance. We're hearing from a great number of students - middle school age - that self-motivation is a struggle for them. Let's be serious. It is for me, too. Dusting? Oh, here, let me check Facebook again . . . Walk the dog . . . make a dessert . . . I hate to dust. And for students who aren't crazy about doing work, motivation is a HUGE issue. How do they balance something they love - science, math - with something they may not (which often is my subject (ELA)? Physically being in a classroom provides that structure we often need to achieve balance and motivation. Helping our students find it is important - but if they aren't answering emails and/or calls, it's a struggle for me to help.
So what can we do as teachers?
**We can remember these are kids. I don't care how old they are - 5 or 15. These are kids. They don't have some of the coping skills we, as adults, do. We need to honor that. We need to provide strategies - giving them a potential schedule. for example - to help them manage their time and not be overwhelmed.
**We must acknowledge that school may not be their biggest priority right now. We have to honor what their families are requiring of them. I had a student email me, upset, because he missed an optional Zoom meeting, but he had to watch younger siblings. "Family comes first," I assured him, and I told him I missed him, but I'd see him the next week. These kids are being pulled in many different directions, and we need to not add to that stress but what we require.
**Less is more. Seriously. There's so much I do in my classroom that these students won't experience. Can I tell you how sad that makes me? But we aren't in normal times. It's ok that some things slide.
**What is essential? Our district went from "traditional" grades to standards-based grading, or what we call evidence-based learning. We looked at all the standards and chose the ones we believe are essential for students to master. We report their progress on these (but trust me, they aren't all we teach). If you are still trying to get all you'd teach this semester taught, please look at it carefully. What is the most important for students to get?
**Remember, not all students are going to "get" it. We have students who are participating minimally. We have other students who aren't participating (and we are reaching out to them - admin, counselors and teachers, as well as reaching out to their families).
Our district has hit the midway point of virtual teaching. We've got four weeks left. We cannot look at where we'd be in normal circumstances. We have to know this is brand new territory. It's a hat we've never worn, but we can and we will wear it well.
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