In a matter of days, many of our lives were turned upside down, especially for teachers. Suddenly being told that you couldn’t see your precious students indefinitely and your job was going to be completely different likely came as a huge shock. Before you begin panicking, though, consider that there are many ways that students can benefit from learning online. In fact, many students really enjoy digital learning. Here are some ways to stop worrying and start thriving as you transition into remote learning with your students.
Be Realistic
Teachers are known for going above and beyond when it comes to their jobs, and it can be very frustrating to suddenly feel like you don’t know what to do. The best thing you can do for yourself and your students is to take a deep breath and set realistic expectations for yourself. Your teaching is not going to be exactly the same as before, and that’s okay. As you probably have told your students many times, mistakes help us learn! You will do a much better job in the end if you accept that not everything is going to be perfect. You are doing the best you can, and that is enough.
Communicate Regularly
Most of your students likely miss you as much as you miss them, so make an extra effort to keep in contact with them and their families as regularly as you can. When talking to students’ families, focus on the positives and make sure you listen to their concerns and what they need from you. Provide your students with strategies for success, including creating a distraction-free study space and scheduling assignments. For younger students, communicate these ideas with their parents and guardians. You can also help students communicate with each other by posting discussion board questions on Google Classroom or another resource.
Find New Resources
There are many amazing online resources that can facilitate distance learning, and many companies are even providing free services to help teachers and families during this time. Some companies offering free resources for teachers include Amazon Future Engineer, Amplify, Epic, Kahoot, and more. Google has a lot of great resources including Google Classroom and Google Drive. Both of these sites can help you to share assignments with students and receive assignments from them. Achieve3000 is a site that provides reading materials at different levels on a variety of topics. Age of Learning has a reading resource as well, called Reading IQ. They also have a variety of educational games designed to engage students while reviewing subjects such as math, literacy, science, and social studies. Currently, Age of Learning is allowing parents to sign up for these for free.
You may be feeling a lot of pressure right now to hold it together and make everything just right for your students. Remember, things are going to be different for a while, and that’s okay. And perhaps you will find an amazing resource that you can use for years to come!
Looking for a way to earn graduate level credits during the school closures? Head to Credits for Teachers. While there, K-12 teachers can enroll in online self-paced Professional Development courses in exchange for graduate credit from our university partner that can be used for salary advancement or license renewal – Learn More Now!
