Teachers Adjust Techniques to New Normal

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This is the second of a two-part series looking at how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting classroom teaching across the area. Part 1 appeared April 1 online at this URL.
NORTH WILDWOOD – With the continuance of school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some area school teachers are worried that the longer school is shut, the less connected and more disengaged students will feel. Morale, also, is a concern of not only the school community but parents and students.
In addition, teachers who are parents worry that the normal school “rites of passage” may not be held, depriving them of “their time and memories.”
“Teaching from Home is like …”
“Teaching from home is like playing a sport from the sidelines and all you can do in the situation is sit and watch,” said Becca Fuentes, a special education teacher at Margaret Mace Elementary School, North Wildwood. “We don’t always have one another’s undivided attention on a computer screen, but I am beyond proud of my students and the work they have completed.”
Finding engaging lessons, especially for younger students and those with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), can prove challenging, especially as the COVID-19 school shut down closes in on its first month. 
Morale for teachers, administration, school staff, students and their families is also top of mind, with newsletters and daily social media posts aimed at getting students excited and continuing to feel connected. 
Online Teaching: “Insanely Different”
“Online is insanely different from teaching students in a classroom,” said Kristen Andre, a sixth-eighth grade math teacher, at Margaret Mace. A teacher for 19 years, this is her first time teaching via long distance. “It is quite lonely actually, and I have felt helpless at times and unable to give my students the instruction and support they deserve.   
“Math is very difficult to learn completely on your own without any interaction from classmates,” she pointed out. “They don’t get to see procedures modeled and aren’t able to share their thoughts with teachers or peers while working. 
“I also have to really dig into my creativity so that they don’t feel the work is too mundane,” she added. Andre has used a lot of YouTube videos to support the assigned material but noted that it takes time to search and sift through a lot of resources. 
Need for New Lessons Continue
“It is going as well as can be expected,” the teacher and mother of two said. “Students are not in their ideal learning environment and have to deal with other responsibilities as well as continue their education. Some students just don’t have the technological items that are necessary to learn in this way. My school and many others have been wonderful in getting students what they need to succeed in this type of situation, however.”
Fuentes agreed, noting it has forced a different level of creativity to make it work for all students and families, especially since her students need individually prepared materials. 
While most of it is review of previously taught information, she is able to continue with new lessons and check on their progress online.
“The need to continue with new lessons is essential as the time we are home has increased,” the 14-year-veteran pointed out. 
“Everyone is actively involved and happily participating,” added Corinne Clark, a kindergarten teacher, at Margaret Mace. “The lessons are all age-appropriate, and the children still seem interested in learning. We are trying our best to provide the kids with the work they need while at home.”
“It has been a challenge as we were having some technology issues that kept students from being able to connect through our virtual face-to-face meets, but we are working to fix that issue,” Fuentes noted. “All students are connected to the internet and have at least one device in the household they can use, but some are sharing with siblings as well as their other family members.”
Motivation, Morale at Risk
Teaching new concepts has been somewhat frustrating for teachers, according to fourth-grade teacher DeAnne Carr. A teacher at Margaret Mace for 22 years, Carr explained the reason as “not being able to see for ourselves where students may be having trouble. 
“We are also having to think more ‘outside the box’ and give more internet-based projects and virtual field trips,” she added. “We are happy when students and parents reach out and ask for help. Unfortunately, not all students are participating as much as they should, so accountability is a huge issue with online learning.”  
Students who aren’t very motivated in school appear to be even less motivated when they are not in the classroom, according to Carr. “Some students need to be pushed, and that’s hard to do when you are only communicating through the computer.
“It’s hard to know what students are actually learning,” she added. “If they are shy and don’t speak up, we won’t know what they are thinking or feeling. It’s harder to read a child when you are not seeing them.”  
“We have to be flexible and creative to make this work efficiently,” Fuentes said. “If I am unable to connect with students, then I reach out to their parents directly. We have a nice rapport and we know we are in this together and need to assist one another for our students’ learning.” 
Individual Lessons Required
Assisting one another to find engaging lesson ideas or suggestions on how to modify lessons, posting social media morale boosters and finding topics for a staff newsletter is how Teri Calloway, of Ocean View, is spending her time as the learning disabilities teacher consultant on the Child Study Team at Absecon Public Schools. 
“IEPs by nature are individual,” said Calloway, who was a teacher for 11 years before her current assignment. “For example, in a classroom, there could be 23 students and 7 will have IEPs. The classroom will have one general education and one special education teacher. The teachers work with all the students, but the special education teacher will make modifications to the work of students with IEPs.  
“In a virtual classroom these modifications are still happening,” she added. “I have completed many Google searches and worked with teachers to modify instructional materials, and joined online forums with other teachers around the country sharing ideas and resources for virtual instruction.” 
Juggling Career & Parental Duties
All four teachers are also juggling professional responsibilities with parental, although demands lessen as the children are older and get used to being taught online.
“I am a parent assisting with homeschooling my children during this time,” Fuentes said. “I guess they are lucky I am a teacher, too. At first, I was completely overbearing in helping, but I think I missed being in the classroom, so I projected it on to them. I have taken a step back wearing a parent hat and only jump in when asked; I am here as their resource, support, and guidance if needed.  
“They have great teachers and we are lucky that communication has been so available for both of my children,” she added. “My children have also learned to problem solve in the last two weeks. There are times that I am on a call, Zoom, or Google Hangout and not available to assist them. We are making it work the best we can. The safety and health of our community is what matters most to us.”  
“Honestly, my students have come first,” Andre said. Her children are a freshman and fifth grader. “When I have downtime from them, I check in with my own kids and help them with whatever they need. I just worry that the longer this continues, the less connected they will feel and become disengaged. They have made incredible progress this year and I hate to see my students or my children lose that forward momentum.”
Clark, a teacher for 20 years, has three children in elementary school. “We had to figure out our own routine and now it has been going pretty smoothly,” she said. “We all start our work, then take a break, do some more work, eat lunch, finish up work, break and then the kids have their ‘after school time’ free time.
“My grade partner, Jean Golden, and I have been working together to make this situation the best it can be for our class while they are at home,” she added.
Calloway’s high school freshman and eighth-grader attend Ocean City Schools. “They have engaging and meaningful assignments,” she said. “However, they pretty much have the work done on their own and don’t require a lot from me. I have assisted them with more assignments over the last few days then I have all year so far, which is nice to work with them again.”
Rites of Passage
As the mother of an eighth-grader, Calloway is hopeful they and high school seniors find a way to have all the rites of passage, the fun and the celebrations typically held. 
“Let them have their eighth-grader trips, even if it is not the trip they planned, but let them have something” she urged. “Make the trip a local trip; it is the time together that is important. Especially let them have graduation, even if it is in July! 
“There is a pandemic right now and that must be addressed as a public health emergency, please do not let me appear to be diminishing that in any way” she said. “I am hopeful with conscientious social distancing we can flatten the curve. However, these students have waited their whole academic careers for these special moments; they should not be taken from them. They are home, not interacting with their peers, it is extremely hard on them. The mental health implications to our nation’s children must be addressed when we have flattened the curve.  
“Giving them something to look forward to would go a long way,” Calloway continued. “When I speak to my children about this they are sad, but matter of fact right now. They are constantly getting bad news through what is happening in the world with the pandemic or in their own lives through cancellations of parties, events with their friends, school activities or sports seasons. When it is time, when it is safe, give them their rights of passage. If you are reading this, and you can sit there and remember those events, the least we can do is not strip these young people of those memories. It is their youth; let them have their time and their memories.” 
To contact Karen Knight, email kknight@cmcherald.com.