Teaching 2020

I was recently asked, “How long ago did you retire?” AND, I had to think a minute before saying, “It’s been 5 years.”
5 years?!!! How could it be? Then I looked at how much time has passed since my last post, and I realized the older you get, time sure does move that much more quickly!
Needless to say, I still consider myself forever a teacher, so what better time to add another post than the present?
You may be wondering what a retired teacher has been doing with herself for 5 years that she still calls herself a teacher? I have done intervention work with small groups of students in the district I retired from, I’ve volunteered with my church youth group leading a small group, I’ve partnered with an educational consultant to work with teachers in a neighboring school district, and I’ve even done some face to face and online tutoring and teaching. While my husband refers to all these activities as my side hustles, I call them what allows me to be forever a teacher.
Last spring when life came to a screeching halt, the demand for online tutoring picked up, and I was able to work with many new students. While these students were from different places across the country, I saw many of the same needs. Without a doubt, every student, whether elementary, middle, or high school, missed the sense of community that disappeared for them when the school doors shut. Most of them were in asynchronous classes, but even those who had occasional Zoom meetings missed having that teacher as the guide on the side as they completed daily assignments.
Here’s my take-away: Building relationships really matters for learning communities. That’s definitely not a new concept for teachers, but this year it will have a different look for learners. For teachers going back to the classroom, I know they are having to rethink those get to know you activities they’ve done in the past. With face masks, name tents will be that much more valued, with 6 feet of social distancing and avoiding shared physical objects, teachers will have to get that much more creative with icebreakers. I have no doubt they will. (In fact, if you have a great masked, socially distanced idea to share, please comment below; I know the teachers who read this will appreciate it!)
For those going online, one thing I learned as an online tutor is that you can still make connections with students even if it’s over a computer screen. Something else I learned (that is missing when all learning is asynchronous) is that we have to be the same cheerleaders, task masters, and behavior directors for our students in the online setting as we are when they are in the room with us. Does it look a little different? Absolutely! But the core of why we do what we do stays the same: recognizing all children as the learners they are.
Finally, my shout out to all of you still doing what you do in whatever type of classroom you find yourself in this year: I admire what you are doing! You’ve got this!