What We Learned

WHAT WE LEARNED FROM LAST LAST SCHOOL SCHOOL YEAR YEAR

In the words of teachers and counselors.

Last year, the roles of teachers and parents took an unexpected turn when schools across the country were put in a position to make decisions on how to proceed with the 2020-2021 school year after the previous school year ended with online instruction only.

Parents seemingly became their child’s teacher, while teachers played the role of parent and teacher with only a computer screen or cell phone as their link to their students. Regardless of resources or routines, very few local schools and families were prepared for what would be a very rapid transition from traditional inperson classroom instruction to Non-Traditional Instruction (NTI) at home.

Educators and counselors from multiple grade levels were asked to reflect upon what they learned over the course of last school year and how this might impact their way of teaching going into the 2021-2022 school year. Here are some of their

responses:

“The struggles of COVID confirmed what I have always felt was the most important thing for teachers to thrive in and that is relationships. We need to know our students’ academic needs along with their personal successes and struggles. Knowing your students is the cornerstone of getting them where they need to be academically.” ~ Preschool Teacher

“I have learned that I have very little control over things and that it is more important to maintain a positive relationship between myself and my students and their parents than it is getting them ready for the K PREP standardized test. It was my job to keep my students moving forward with the content, but more importantly keep them moving forward and encouraging them to keep trying to complete the work.” ~ Middle School Teacher

COMMUNICATION IS KEY

“I realized how important the communication between school and home is and I think many parents did as well.” ~ Middle School Teacher

“I learned communication is vital...As a school counselor, this virus has made me think about the different ways people live and think. I have had to consider many different options of communicating but also the different needs of families. There definitely isn’t a one size fits all answer to many of the issues with this virus.” ~ High School Counselor

“While I saw my students only virtually, I felt the communication between them and their families significantly increased.” ~ Middle School Teacher “Even though I had to contact parents whose students had not completed the required work, I also contacted the parents regularly of students who were doing the expected work to praise their hard work and to keep the line of communication open with the parents. This worked really well and it helped give parents a pat on the back that many needed during this time.” ~ Middle School Teacher

EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS

“Teachers worked relentlessly on learning about the best way to present material and communicate with kids. They really tried to make the work meaningful but not too difficult for those who didn’t have adult assistance.” ~ Elementary Guidance Counselor

“I worked with students on their schedule instead of my own, doing Google Meets at different times of the day. Even though I had regular Google Meet times each week, there were several times where I set up special sessions to modify work and help students get caught up on their work.” ~ Middle School Teacher

TEACHING THE TEACHER

“I realized at the end of it, I actually got to know students who I may have missed out on if I had taught in a traditional way. With so many students in and out of my classroom on a daily basis, I usually do not have the time to make connections like I want to. This allowed me to give more one-on-one instruction and help students and also have better and more intentional conversations about their day and how they were dealing with the changes around them.” ~ Middle School Teacher