Surviving Online Learning
Who could have guessed that instead of returning to school from our Chinese New Year Holiday on February 10, 2020, we would instead be jumping into a new world of education. When I look back on the first weeks of online learning I remember feeling so overwhelmed that I just cried. The feeling that I had to somehow make sense of this new paradigm, and simultaneously remain steady and calm for my students, family and team. It was too much for me to handle at the beginning.
What were the biggest challenges of online learning?
1. The need to collaborate on all activities was a huge challenge, since different teachers always have different ways of doing things. I had a need to make things as simple as possible, but others tended toward a more complicated approach. I had to identify how I could maintain a level of sanity so that I would be able to last for the long-term in this new classroom. I found that once I organized my ideas and planning in my own way, I was able to comfortably ease into a routine. It really helped when Admin. told us we could share the load for the planning of each subject. This was an immense relief to the stress at the beginning of this experience.
2. Students who didn't consistently participate. There were a handful of students who were constantly falling behind and then rushing to catch up. This made checking work very challenging since I thought I had completed grading assignments and then activities from 2 months ago show up in my unapproved items folder. In the future, I would give a firm deadline and then after that deadline, I would archive the activity. I think this would either encourage students to complete work within 2 weeks, or lose the chance to.
3. The initial feeling of confusion and powerlessness. Not only from school, but from the constant stress I felt by hearing constant news reports about the Corona Virus and the worry of how we would get back to China. The closing of the Chinese border to foreigners actually helped ease the stress a bit, since there was no way of getting back. At that point worrying about returning seemed pointless, and actually helped me to focus on the things I can control.
4. Not having any other teachers to just vent to. It was very isolating. I am thankful that I had Hoi (my husband) to talk to. I can't imagine being a single person, stuck in some other country, alone.
5. Striking a balance between work, family and alone time was a huge challenge. At first, I would spend my entire day on Seesaw and worrying that I wasn't doing enough.
6. Not being able to see my kids to say goodbye is really heartbreaking. I just want to wrap my arms around them all and say thank you for sticking with me through it all.
What were the biggest successes of online learning?
1. I learned that there is strength in teamwork. I am by nature a very organized person who likes to be in control. In this experience I had to lose control of some things, so I could make it through this challenging time. I relied on others to teach additional Zooms. I relied on my principal to back me up when students were not engaging in the learning. I relied on my team members to do the planning in the other subjects. We all took responsibility for a little bit of the puzzle and in the end, we created an amazing work of art.
2. Some of my students absolutely thrived in the online classroom. They were better students and more motivated than when we were face to face.
3. I learned so much! In the past, I actually avoided creating activities in Seesaw, since I didn't really know how to do it. But now, I am creating 3-4 activities each week.
What quote exemplifies the past 4 months?
I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination. -Jimmy Dean
I feel this quote really captures the entire experience of teaching online during semester 2. It was challenging in ways that I could never have predicted or prepared for. It was constantly changing and as a result I had to keep adjusting. I am a creature of habit and routine, so significant changes can really throw me off. I am thankful to have had this challenge, because it helped me to become more flexible.
What were the biggest challenges of online learning?
1. The need to collaborate on all activities was a huge challenge, since different teachers always have different ways of doing things. I had a need to make things as simple as possible, but others tended toward a more complicated approach. I had to identify how I could maintain a level of sanity so that I would be able to last for the long-term in this new classroom. I found that once I organized my ideas and planning in my own way, I was able to comfortably ease into a routine. It really helped when Admin. told us we could share the load for the planning of each subject. This was an immense relief to the stress at the beginning of this experience.
2. Students who didn't consistently participate. There were a handful of students who were constantly falling behind and then rushing to catch up. This made checking work very challenging since I thought I had completed grading assignments and then activities from 2 months ago show up in my unapproved items folder. In the future, I would give a firm deadline and then after that deadline, I would archive the activity. I think this would either encourage students to complete work within 2 weeks, or lose the chance to.
3. The initial feeling of confusion and powerlessness. Not only from school, but from the constant stress I felt by hearing constant news reports about the Corona Virus and the worry of how we would get back to China. The closing of the Chinese border to foreigners actually helped ease the stress a bit, since there was no way of getting back. At that point worrying about returning seemed pointless, and actually helped me to focus on the things I can control.
4. Not having any other teachers to just vent to. It was very isolating. I am thankful that I had Hoi (my husband) to talk to. I can't imagine being a single person, stuck in some other country, alone.
5. Striking a balance between work, family and alone time was a huge challenge. At first, I would spend my entire day on Seesaw and worrying that I wasn't doing enough.
6. Not being able to see my kids to say goodbye is really heartbreaking. I just want to wrap my arms around them all and say thank you for sticking with me through it all.
What were the biggest successes of online learning?
1. I learned that there is strength in teamwork. I am by nature a very organized person who likes to be in control. In this experience I had to lose control of some things, so I could make it through this challenging time. I relied on others to teach additional Zooms. I relied on my principal to back me up when students were not engaging in the learning. I relied on my team members to do the planning in the other subjects. We all took responsibility for a little bit of the puzzle and in the end, we created an amazing work of art.
2. Some of my students absolutely thrived in the online classroom. They were better students and more motivated than when we were face to face.
3. I learned so much! In the past, I actually avoided creating activities in Seesaw, since I didn't really know how to do it. But now, I am creating 3-4 activities each week.
What quote exemplifies the past 4 months?
I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination. -Jimmy Dean
I feel this quote really captures the entire experience of teaching online during semester 2. It was challenging in ways that I could never have predicted or prepared for. It was constantly changing and as a result I had to keep adjusting. I am a creature of habit and routine, so significant changes can really throw me off. I am thankful to have had this challenge, because it helped me to become more flexible.
