What Distance Learning Has Taught Me

On March 13, 2020, I left school thinking I would be gone for two weeks. We would enjoy a nice little break while the world healed itself and then we would be back and ready to get started again. Now, over 9 months later, I have had to do a lot of reevaluating. I have taught in the same school for about 8 years. I have seen students go from Kindergarten to Middle School, seen whole families pass through, and grown to love my little community. While no school is perfect, I truly love where I work. Not being able to see my students and their families every day has been very challenging. I thrive off of my interactions with students, seeing them get excited about what we are learning, hearing their feedback and ideas when we are creating something together. And while I do get to see my students on the computer screen, there is definitely something that has been lost. The connection feels hollow and I very rarely see excitement. If students show up to my class, only about half of them do regularly, they are just going through the motions. They are sitting at a computer screen all day so nothing seems new and exciting anymore. They view my class as a long, boring, YouTube video that they can't click out of without fear of failing. I try to make it interesting. I ask questions, try to get them talking, create opportunities for them to be the center of attention. But it's not the same. And they know it's not the same. For the first few weeks of Distance Learning, I was breaking my back trying to think of new and interesting ways to get their attention. I was staying up late every night trying to create something that would finally engage students and get them begging to come to my class. Some of these worked, most of them didn't. I will still try every day to create a class worth coming to, one that is led and centered around my students. But the lesson that Distance Learning has taught me, the teacher, is that my job is to create the learning opportunities, but I cannot make them learn. It is my job to provide as many opportunities as possible for students to engage with learning and have fun with it but once it is in their hands it is out of my control. It is not a failing on my part if students do not complete their work if I have truly done everything in my power to reach them. That is definitely something I am still learning, and reminding myself of every day, but it is getting easier. If you are a teacher out there teaching through a computer screen, please know that I am with you. I know how hard you are working. Remember to create as many opportunities for your students to learn as possible and then remember to let it go. "You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make them drink."