Throughout the Covid 19 Crisis we have heard adults from all walks of life speak on the effect that this pandemic has had on our kids. Parents, teachers, politicians, media figures and scholars have described the toll of remote learning on students. The “concerns” have largely focused on issues centered around younger students and their parents: Childcare, “learning loss” of elementary school kids and the developmental effects of screentime. We have not really spent a significant amount of time delving into the issues our older students have been facing. I recall one of my early guests making the astute observation that her high school students were likely depressed. In this episode Justin confirmed that this has been his experience during his junior and senior year of high school. So, my question is: did we fail our High School students by focusing on the needs of our younger kids?

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Throughout the Covid 19 Crisis we have heard adults from all walks of life speak on the effect that this pandemic has had on our kids. Parents, teachers, politicians, media figures and scholars have described the toll of remote learning on students. However, I haven’t seen very many kids represented in the media telling their stories. Last week, I spoke with a middle schooler about his experiences with remote learning. He was very clear about his feelings on the experience. This week I am speaking to a younger crowd: Two second graders help us see the Covid crisis through their young eyes and perspectives.

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The Covid 19 Crisis has upended our lives in ways we had never imagined to be possible. We were asked to do our part and stay home to flatten the curb. We have all felt the terrible practical and emotional burden of this pandemic. I have had the privilege of speaking with adults in a variety of roles within the school system, but this week I thought it was time to talk to another demographic in the frontline of the educational system: the student.

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We, understandably, want to get past the Covid19 crisis. It makes sense that after a year and a half of uncertainty, scarcity, and fear, as the vaccines become readily available and cities open up, we want to simply move on. Yet, how do we do that? How do we cope with all the trauma? This week I got to speak to someone who is usually one of the most optimistic I interact with; she is one of the kindest, most down-to-earth people I have known. However, despite her usual disposition, Naomi is skeptical about the ways we go forward from here. She loves teaching, and she will continue to give her students her all. Still, her approach has fundamentally changed after teaching through Covid.

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A Year of Remote Learning: A Teacher’s Reflection on Teaching Through Covid

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Hi everyone! So we're on Spring Break this week (my spring break is super late)... well I a, because my school schedules its Spring Break after State testing. Usually I'm on board with this arrangement, but this year, after teaching through Covid and not getting a Spring Break at all last year (I know... CRAZY TOWN), I would have loved to have it earlier. Here we are though, grateful to have it at all. So, please use this opportunity to catch up on episodes you might have missed and let's link up next week for more Zone of Proximal Development! Stay safe everyone, much love from this side of the microphone! 

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A Year of Remote Learning: A Teacher’s Reflection on Teaching Through Covid

Please rate and subscribe and find us on social media through our website! Can’t wait to see you next Sunday!

How do so many teachers manage to keep themselves sane and on message despite all the issues in our education system? This week I got to speak to one of those teachers who always seemed to know the secret to staying present for her kids and above the nonsense of the system. Ms. Hall taught me to do what I’m told so I can do what I want--to teach my kids. I continue to learn from her all the time and I am so excited for you all to meet her.

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Is it just me or does the nonsense that surrounds teaching go up to 11 in the spring? It’s like a switch goes off on the policy makers and Admins’ minds and they become zombies in BS mode as soon as the equinox hits.Please stop by the Zone of Proximal Development Teachers’ Lounge and help me make sense of all the exasperation, mixed emotions and victories of life as a teacher when you add teaching through Covid to the mix.

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Everyone I know has gone into teaching from a place of idealism. To enter this field without hope would only cause relentless cognitive dissonance. How can we work with youth and not have faith in change and progress? As time goes on, the challenges we face as teachers can make us feel as though faith in the system of education is misplaced. I’m likely to think it is, but the belief in our students is not. It is that faith that keeps us going despite systemic failure. It is this faith that has likely kept us going through the chaos of teaching through Covid. This week I was reminded that there might still be room for optimism in education.

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As Americans, we have the bad habit of introducing ourselves using job titles and career paths. Even I, an introvert with a very low tolerance for small talk, find myself telling people I am a teacher before telling them anything else about myself. Teaching is undoubtedly a unique profession and an enormous part of my life. Still, it does not occupy the entirety of my identity. I’m very excited to have this conversation with Theresa, a creative arts teacher, about teaching–the job–in the time of Covid.

A Year of Remote Learning: A Teacher’s Reflection on Teaching Through Covid

I love working and exchanging ideas with youth. That is the best part of my job as a teacher. Furthermore, it is always amazing to speak to people at the beginning of their careers as educators. My conversation with Joseph, a substitute paraprofessional filled me with hope and energy. His dedication to our children is beyond evident and highly contagious.

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A Year of Remote Learning: A Teacher’s Reflection on Teaching Through Covid