What We Learned From Last School Year

In The Words of Teachers

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 in-person 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:

 

Relying on Relationships 

“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

“I learned I can teach other people’s children better than I can my own.” 

~ Elementary Teacher

“I learned that I did not become a teacher to teach content, but to support students and parents. I learned that my students need more real life skills in order to manage time outside of the classroom…I learned that I belong to a group of people who are caring and, even though there were so many unknowns, we kept going and kept our students in a somewhat normal routine.” 

~ Middle School Teacher

 

Seeing Students Shine

“My takeaway is just how resilient kids are. No doubt COVID-19 put a huge damper on nearly every aspect of their life, but they found new ways to learn. They embraced having to teach themselves and learn on their own and they did it without complaining or arguing.” 

~ Middle School Teacher

“Some kids flourish learning at home online. There were students who tried very hard to withdraw in in-seat instruction, but when that changed to online learning, they improved dramatically. There is a world of opportunity to explore virtual academies run by public schools.” 

~ Middle School Teacher

Beyond the Building

“I did some home visits, dropping off materials and food. It made you aware of their home life (bigger kids having to take care of the little ones, living conditions, etc.) and that they would be in a position of doing this for months…It makes you worry way more than you did when the kiddos were in your building.” 

~ Elementary Guidance Counselor

“For a lot of kids, this is their safe place, where they experience love, get fed, and just feel wanted and encouraged.” 

~ Elementary Guidance Counselor 

Lessons Learned

“I quickly learned how difficult it was for our parents to be the teacher for our students.  I called families frequently to provide encouragement, tips and resources but it was still a struggle.” 

~ Youth Service Center

“It was refreshing to remember my WHY, why I became a teacher in the first place — to be there for my kids, help them through hard times, and remind them of their own strength.” 

~ Middle School Teacher

“It sounds weird for an adult to say that he missed the interactions with his students, but that’s a large part of why I teach. I love my kids. Not seeing them face-to-face, not getting to interact with them, not seeing their responses to our readings, not being able to hold class discussions with them, not getting to experience their senses of humor — these all served as a reminder of just how wonderful the teaching profession is.” 

~ High School Teacher

“I learned that I love my job and that I am so glad that I am blessed to be in a career that is so important to our society. Even when things are not normal and even when things are uncertain — you can always count on a teacher.” 

~ Middle School Teacher