Your experience as a teacher using distance teaching / learning tools and platforms? 

Before Covid 19, I used Skype in the classroom as a tool for long distance teaching. I had involved teachers around the world in my classes and had contributed to international classes as well. When our school was preparing to close due to Covid 19, we were already using Microsoft TEAMS and Google Classroom at school. When school closed, we were asked to use these for online teaching, and setting and grading of assignments.

How you are working with students and colleagues to continue providing education despite the crisis?

The two platforms, Microsoft TEAMS and Google Classroom, have proved excellent for online teaching. I give (and record) lessons with up to 30 pupils in a class at a time, and take questions so the class is interactive. I also set up WhatsApp groups for each of my classes, for quick messages and to receive questions. I also send short voice messages, either reminding pupils of something that is due or send short messages of support. I have uploaded Kahn academy clips, YouTube clips, or links to lessons that I put on Google classroom, and have assigned work with deadlines here too.

Pupils that are from under-resourced backgrounds were provided with a dongle and data by the school, and an iPad, to ensure they can keep up with lessons.

How you are dealing with these new working conditions?

The pupils have responded differently, and I have therefore had to adjust my teaching for those who go at a slower pace, due to lack of self-discipline or depression due to isolation. I start each lesson with emotional encouragement, get feedback on how people are feeling, and generally have slowed my pace or expectations. Some pupils work fast, but some have slowed down, due to family members being diagnosed positive with the virus, or other personal reasons. I find the parents are also challenged with everyone being at home and are asking the school to have a day each week when pupils can catch up and no new work is assigned. In some of the lessons, when I say goodbye, the pupils get quite tearful. They are really trying hard to keep up with the work. I have been very proud of them but realise how much explanation and support they rely on, day to day. I have tried to keep it simple as pupils are having a lot of online lessons. They are logging off and on to different teachers’ lessons for 5 hours, with few breaks. This is a senior school, but some teachers have not stuck to the timetable, and thus their tests have gone over-time etc.

Some of the important activities that I run, such as social responsibility, where we work with inner city kids who have AIDS, and “Model UN” that I run, and the work I do with other organisations on SDGs, has slowed down and much has been put on hold for the 21 days of complete shut-down.

What guidelines and support have you been given (if any)?

We have support from our IT staff, online. Staff members share information on what apps and programmes have worked for them. Staff are asked to stick to the normal timetable for lessons and we are preparing online reports as well at the moment. We share glitches with IT who then try and solve them.

In early April, I was asked to be part of a Jakes Gerwel Fellowship Webinar in South Africa, called Educating in Interesting Times, which addressed the use of different tools for online education.

I am also on the Varkey Foundation’s Varkey Teacher Ambassador (VTA) network and share and receive ideas there.

Marjorie Brown

Marjorie Brown was one of the finalists of the Varkey Foundation's Global Teacher Prize.

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This piece is part of the Teacher Task Force’s #TeachersVoices campaign, created to bring forward the experiences of teachers working every day to ensure their students continue to benefit from a quality education despite the COVID-19 pandemic. To participate, go to our dedicated webpage.

My name is Anne-Fleur Lurvink and I am a teacher at Lyceum Kralingen, a secondary school in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. I teach English as a foreign language to students between the ages of 15 to 18. I am also mentor to a group of 21 students, head of department and coordinator for the UNESCO Associated School Network. In addition to teaching, I also work in the field of international development where I act as consultant for youth empowerment and education. 

When I entered the field of education I could have never imagined a crisis like the current COVID-19 crisis to knock on our door. Being part of an enthusiastic and energetic team, committed to ensure learning in these challenging times, has made all the difference.

Necessity is the mother of invention

When the news arrived that schools would close, we really collaborated as a team. Teachers came together at school for a brief brainstorm session and started transforming the curriculum to an online one in just one day. Of course we are still learning and figuring it out as we go along, but what makes it manageable is the fact that we are in it together.

Teacher development has accelerated and peer learning has been central to it. When one of us faces some challenges, others step in, organise a team zoom and we learn from each other. We are also drawing on our creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. For example, we have replaced test with small research projects. There is also a range of free online applications for e-learning available. One very useful website is https://www.todaysteachingtools.com/ which offers different flowcharts to figure out which ICT tool is fit for which purpose. It also offers a free online course for language e-learning.

In addition, I try to include my students in the process. They often have a much broader knowledge of ICT and they have given me great suggestions and feedback (such as how to switch off the annotation mode in Zoom when I do not want creative expressions of my students to appear on my PowerPoint).

We also try and keep up good spirits by approaching things with a sense of humour, accept it when things do not go as planned and have a good laugh from time to time. It is also important to give our students confidence that this situation will end that they will be fine.

The challenges

Despite the many creative solutions and increased collaboration amongst teachers, there are many challenges to be faced. There is the obvious work-home balance, which is hard to maintain with non-stop online availability, and matters of digital (il)literacy.

Online learning is based on the assumption that students have the possibility to follow online learning at home. Unfortunately this is not the case for all students. Less advantaged children have a greater chance of falling behind and the equity gap is increasing during this crisis.

We also worry about the social and emotional well-being of our students. It has become more apparent than ever that schools are more than just places where knowledge is transferred. It is where children socialise and where they grow. Schools are safe places for those who have unstable homes. How to ensure this at a distance? The role of the mentor has become more important because we are responsible for connecting with students and their parents.

In addition to online lessons, we also organise one lesson a week just to chat and to keep up to date on how students are coping. Together with the care-team at school we try to monitor every student and their well-being, but this is extremely difficult. Some students go off the radar and schools can’t get in touch with them or their parents.

Teacher empowerment

Here we have been given the confidence to come up with solutions and ideas and we are part of the policy dialogue at our schools. I believe this to be essential in order to maintain learning at a distance.

As a teacher you know your context, you know your students and you know what they need. In terms of learning and leaving no one behind, facilitating teachers to face this challenge will determine the out-come of this crisis. I am happy to be part of several networks of teachers and educators from across the globe, exchanging experiences and sharing knowledge. I would also recommend this to other teachers.

Join these networks and webinars and let’s bundle our strengths!

Some networks and platforms

• https://www.learninginpractice.org/
• https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse/

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This piece is part of the Teacher Task Force’s #TeachersVoices campaign, created to bring forward the experiences of teachers working every day to ensure their students continue to benefit from a quality education despite the COVID-19 pandemic. To participate, go to our dedicated webpage.

My name is Estella. I teach secondary English and Theatre Arts, ages 14 to 18, in South Los Angeles, California (U.S.) and have been in the field of education for nearly 14 years. Our site moved to Distance Learning, or Student Dismissal, on March 17, 2020. Students went home on Tuesday after spending Monday being briefed by teachers on what to expect. Unfortunately, teachers did not truly know what to expect. Only now, nearly two weeks later, we are beginning to comprehend the differences in nomenclature related to online learning.

‘Student Dismissal’ means learners are engaged through online platforms and management systems. While ‘School Closures’ imply learners are at home free of academic or school-related expectations. Some districts in the U.S. have opted for total School Closures citing equity concerns as the reason for this decision. While many more schools have chosen to continue “teaching” employing distance learning measures.

Like many teachers around the globe, we were given less than 24 hours to adjust, modify curriculum, and grow familiar with digital tools in an attempt to ensure students could carry on with “business as usual” by Wednesday morning. To anyone outside of our district, the optics might demonstrate we successfully transitioned nearly 6,000 students and more than 300 teachers to online learning in about 20 hours. While in many ways we were successful, the truth is, overall, this has been a massive failure.

Collectively, society and governments - local, state, and federal - have failed children and parents. To be clear, this failure is of no fault of educators. We are working tirelessly without regard to our own health or families’ needs in order to serve our students while providing some measure of stability. In the United States, we have yet to receive federal guidance on concerns related to online instruction. In the state of California, some materials and resources have begun to make their way down to local jurisdictions. However, as a profession, we remain largely in the dark on what is right and fair.

If I’m honest, this transition has been difficult for me emotionally and mentally. It seems I work more than 14 hours a day as I attempt to stay connected with my 140 students, ensure materials and resources are accessible, and expectations are clear for all learners. While I know this is not healthy nor sustainable, I continue to do so for several reasons. One, my students feel just as displaced as I do and share in my frustration. Two, I’ve made a commitment to students to always be there for them to the best of my ability. Three, the only way over this global pandemic is through it so long as we must go together. Finally, perspective is everything; while this is challenging for myself, my family, and students I have to remain grateful for everything I still have access to at this moment. More importantly, I must model this for students.

Perspective is Everything

As an arts educator, I am privileged to witness the positive impact fine art has on learners’ academics, social-emotional well-being, and character development. [For more information regarding the impact of the arts on young people, check out the Otis Report.] I have the opportunity to spend time with students outside of classes; we put on performances, travel to community events, go on field trips, and compete in festivals. These outings provide me with a clear window into my students’’ lives, thoughts, and feelings. Our relationships are built on unbreakable bonds. Every morning, I greet students at the door and check-in on their emotional state. Not being able to do this has brought me great pain and stress.

For many students school is a safe haven. I serve in the community I grew up in. Several families face equity concerns daily; adverse childhood experiences, trauma, food scarcity, lack of work or housing, and other concerns that interrupt a child’s learning.  For my students, all of these concerns are heightened - worsened - under this global pandemic. Our parents are being laid off from work. Food scarcity is on the rise due to panic shopping across communities. Housing grows more challenging to maintain as wages are lost. Students who face emotional, mental, and physical traumas regularly - those who would be receiving services through the school - are now left to manage on their own. What about students with identified learning challenges like dyslexia or Autism Spectrum Disorder? Their supports and routines are non-existent while we teach at a distance. Some students don’t have access to the internet. Even if they wanted to continue their schoolwork, they can’t.

However, perspective is everything. I recognize that for many educators and students around the globe, the situation in many ways is far dire. We are losing loved ones and the time to grieve seems to escape us as we remain separated by space. The suffering of friends and colleagues around the world is not lost on me, or my students, as we work to empathize with peers worldwide.

My mind has been fixated on these thoughts and more. I cry when I am overwhelmed by emotion without clear solutions. I love my students. I miss my students. I want the power to fix it all with a simple snap of my fingers. As I lesson plan, school work seems irrelevant when I consider all my students are going. How do we bridge already massive equity gaps, now exacerbated by COVID-19?

In moments of clarity, I remember that art has an incredible way of bridging equity gaps and providing social-emotional outlets for young people. Arts integration, when embedded within curriculum, has the power to support learners’ academic growth exponentially. So, how do I integrate the arts into distance learning?

10 Ways to Ensure the Arts Live On Amid COVID-19

Below are some suggestions, with help from my theatre students,  on how you might employ art as a learning tool while we practice “Social-Distancing”:

1. Social Media Platforms - If you are allowed to, encourage teachers and students to create school-appropriate accounts on platforms like FlipGrid or Tik Tok. Students have incredibly innovative ways of using social media to communicate ideas with one another. It also enables learners to stay connected amid physical distance.

2. Live Stream - Consider using platforms like Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, or Instagram to set up a live lesson. To increase engagement, consider using props or backdrops. To ease the workload, reach out to a colleague and co-teach a live stream session.

3. Films - Give students an interesting topic and allow them to create a short film, animation, or documentary. Students can then upload to a cloud service and share with peers. You might even consider using a social media platform to publish students’ work. This is a great time for young people to investigate family histories.

4. Podcasts - Similar to the above suggestion, encourage students to create a podcast or audio recording on an issue they have investigated. National Public Radio has a great resource for this.

5. Collaborate - Encourage students to continue collaborating with peers on projects by setting up their own video conferences. Here is a tutorial geared towards parents and students.

6. Graphic Design - Use platforms like Canva to create beautiful graphics for various styles of projects and lessons. Canva allows for easy publishing and sharing. It’s a great tool for both teachers and students.

7. Photo Scan Applications - Have students and parents download a free scan application on their mobile device in order to easily take photos of drawings of written  work.

8. Drawing Applications - Have students and parents download a drawing application on mobile devices, such as Adobe or Autocad, to create digital works that can be easily shared or published.

9. Make Music - Create new music using programs like Garage Band or any free mobile application. Have students share music with one another and offer kind words to each other.

10. Literature - Keep in mind that the written is word is art. Encourage students to write poems, stories and more. Publish works using whatever tools you have access to, whether social media or a simple email.

11. BONUS: LEGO or building blocks are great for so many project ideas. As a theatre teacher, I might ask students to create stage replicas or models. Encourage students to ease the load on garage and sanitation workers by recycling household items to create models and diagrams as well. If you are looking for more comprehensive lists related to theatre arts, explore this resource developed by Dr. Daphnie Sicre from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.

We’ve Got This, So Long as We Have Each Other

What comes next is unclear. Educators recognize students are not doing well - whether on Dismissal or School Closures. Where I serve, high school seniors are going through an arduous grieving process. Last week, I asked my seniors how they were. The responses were more than I could handle. One student said, "I feel like everything I worked so hard for in the last four years, all of school, is for nothing. All the stress to maintain my grades and apply to college. What was the point?"

Finishing secondary school is no easy feat. Doubly so for youth who face insurmountable odds and traumatic childhood experiences. Our youth will soon transition into adulthood and are now deprived of what would have been life-long memories. Social-emotional well-being is as important, if not more, than academics. Since March 17th, I have asked myself what more can I do.

Educators around the world have come together to support one another through this like I have never witnessed before. It is beautiful and awe-inspiring but the number of resources can become overwhelming. We can work to manage the anxiety induced by the volume of materials being shared online. We can continue to encourage innovation and creativity and recognize students as thought-partners in this work. Similarly, teachers, parents, and other community members have to continue to lean on one another.

We will get through this, so long as we take care of one another.

In the meantime, check out this comic on How To Turn Your Home Into A School Without Losing Your Sanity (NPR)

Estella Owoimaha-Church

Estella Owoimaha-Church was one of the finalists of the Varkey Foundation's Global Teacher Prize.

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This piece is part of the Teacher Task Force’s #TeachersVoices campaign, created to bring forward the experiences of teachers working every day to ensure their students continue to benefit from a quality education despite the COVID-19 pandemic. To participate, go to our dedicated webpage.

My name is Barbara. I am a primary school teacher in Rome, Italy, at the Institute Padre Semeria– Principe di Piemonte, one of the few public schools set within a park. This location allows us to do a lot of outdoor teaching. I teach Italian, history, technology, psychomotricity, music and civic education. My students are 10 years old (grade 5).

My experience in distance teaching began in 2010 with video lessons, live from my class, for children being treated for cancer at the IFO Hospital in Rome. I also use computers and mobile phones with my students at school.

I even have my own TV space on RAI1 during a show called "Uno mattina in famiglia" (“A morning with family”), where I talk about how I teach, which I am now using to explain distance learning.

Getting everyone online

The news of Covid-19 was so sudden that it had us stunned at first. Nevertheless, we immediately started activating various platforms to be ready to provide distance learning. As soon as I received the authorization from the Ministry of Education, my school manager and consent from my students’ families, I started distance teaching with my class.

The process was not a smooth one though. To organize connections from home with pupils we use several platforms: ZOOM, the online class register AXIOS, EDMODO, Hub class and Google classroom. We luckily were able to get help from a digitally skilled father for some of the platforms set-ups!

The Ministry also allocated funds for teacher training and my school manager organized the various activities together with the "digital animator" to connect with our students and start teaching.

A first platform meeting was organized with our students’ parents where everyone was encouraged to share their doubts, concerns and problems in order to create an internal functional organization for families on the management of spaces and IT tools.

The sharing and cooperation with every teacher was fundamental in constructing the organizational plan, even more so in adapting it to each and everyone’s personal ability as well considering the students’ emotional well-being.

E-teaching activities

We try to maintain a sense of schedule. The whole class participates in video sessions in the morning at the same time 10.30 / 13. Teachers are always present to make the video lessons as similar as possible to those in the classroom. We write the timetable of the different subjects ourselves to be more organized. And when it comes to children with learning difficulties, the support teacher is also still present to assign and follow personalized tasks to the students even now that we are distance learning. We also have the possibility to connect to the platforms whenever we want.

My teacher team worked on the AXIOS online registry and the EDMODO platform where the homework assigned to the class are posted and where the students upload their homework. The work is based on the topics already covered in the classroom, reviewing concepts with the use of downloadable online materials such as worksheets, adapted from textbooks made available by the publishing houses and special Apps offering interactive exercises and quizzes.

The children use the platforms autonomously to exchange information, study, play, or work on creative projects together. For example, they made cards for Father's Day and shot a video to welcome the first day of spring.

We also try to maintain extra-curricular activities for our students. We created virtual Cineforum meetings and one afternoon a week we watch themed films all together and then work on writing narrative texts. We also do virtual tours inside Museums. We have connect to play and sing the arias of the opera L'Elisir d'Amore for the Opera Theater Project.

Objectives and results

The work is carried out respecting the children’s well-being. Most of them were immediately at ease with using computers, tablets and cellphones. We have even seen that children with learning difficulties seem more motivated and confident in their work.

I have noted that children with video lessons are more involved, motivated and ready every morning for lessons and we are happy by recreating the same environment and activities as in the classroom. Even virtually, the community aspect of our learning method is highlighted, where everyone helps everyone.

We have seen that daily training produces great results in terms of autonomy, self-regulation, self-assessment and problem solving by the children. This will also be useful when we return to school. However, as far as the evaluation and assessments of students goes, we teachers are following the indications received from the Minister of Education.

It has been a challenge but I feel it is producing good results.

Research and experimentation

We have also started studying the impact of distance learning on students. This research is conducted by Prof. Margherita Orsolini from the Faculty of Psychology and Developmental Pedagogy of La Sapienza University. We use the APISMELA, a training package of activities stimulating attention, cognitive control and flexibility, verbal working memory she designed.

As this constitutes a new way of virtual group training, and is the first time the method is used with a whole classroom, the lessons are recorded and will be studied and analyzed to see what implications this method has on students’ learning outcomes, especially students with learning difficulties.

Barbara Riccardi

Barbara Riccardi was one of the finalists of the Varkey Foundation's Global Teacher Prize.

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This piece is part of the Teacher Task Force’s #TeachersVoices campaign, created to bring forward the experiences of teachers working every day to ensure their students continue to benefit from a quality education despite the COVID-19 pandemic. To participate, go to our dedicated webpage.

I'm Hannah Grieves and I’ve been teaching spoken and written English to first- and second-year University students at the Shandong University of Business and Technology in Yantai, China for the past 8 years.

Cut-off from the World We Knew

We’d heard about the virus in Wuhan, but it wasn’t until shortly before Spring Festival that we realised the enormity of the situation. Initially people in Yantai were cautious, but not especially concerned. We’re pretty far from Wuhan, we reasoned, so we’ll probably be okay. Let’s buy a few more jars of peanut butter just in case. Then we heard the news about lockdowns across the country, and soon we saw guards at the entrance to our community. Our temperatures were taken when we entered the supermarket and, before long, we were told we would have to register to even leave our community. It was so unlike anything we’d ever experienced before. China is usually busy, full of life, and above all noisy. Suddenly the streets were empty, there were no children playing out and it was quiet. Eerily quiet. We started to feel anxious and uncertain about what to do next.

Zooming around the Country

Our school didn’t have much time to make plans. A week before we were due to start classes, we got a message telling us that we would have to teach our students online for the next couple of weeks. A friend at a bigger university in Shanghai told us that they had been instructed to prepare for four weeks. We thought there was no chance it would be that long, but we got ready just in case.

It’s now week 5 and our students don’t think they’ll be back until the end of April at the earliest, and that’s assuming China isn’t hit by a second wave of the virus. Most of the Chinese staff are using platforms such as Tencent and QQ to run their courses, but most of the foreigners offering speaking classes opted to use Zoom. A huge part of my course focuses on pronunciation of individual sounds and it’s crucial that I not only hear my students but can see them too, so that I can see where in their mouths they’re making the sound and help them make any adjustments.

Just like many other teachers, I hadn’t taught online before and had never tried to chat with a whole class on video call, but to my great surprise it works pretty well. In many ways, it’s been exciting getting to know my students in their home environments – it’s opened up many conversations that might not have happened under normal circumstances. Students can show me their homes, tell me about the foods they’re eating, and discuss how their communities are dealing with the virus. We’re getting to know each other in new ways.

Reaching Out Online

As teachers, I think we often feel like we should know exactly what we’re doing, but when faced with something so new I felt completely out of my depth – how would I cope with any technical issues? How would I make sure my students still feel like they’re learning? How could I make my classes engaging without really being able to read the room? Like many others, I reached out online and thankfully stumbled across the Facebook group “Educator Temporary School Closure for Online Learning” set up by Kirsten Durward. I had found help! So did countless others. It grew and grew and is still growing. There are breakout groups for just about every subject, location, age group, and interest, as well as units to teach people how to use different platforms like Zoom, Seesaw, Google Classroom and Flipgrid. Despite having spent the last nine weeks at home with just my husband and two small children, I feel like I have more support than ever before.

Ask for Help and it Will Come

In some countries the problems caused by the pandemic are only just beginning and I know that the effects will be wide reaching and hard to overcome, but educators should know this: ask for help and it will come.

Your colleagues across the world are ready to support you – to offer you help and hope. You are not alone. In the midst of the unknown one thing is certain: teaching will never be the same again. It will be better. How can it not be when there is a whole community of teachers, educators, counsellors, administrators, and experts in just about every field who are reaching out and offering their help to anyone who needs it?

It’s been a real privilege getting to know my new colleagues across the globe and to see the wonderful things that are happening in their online classrooms. I am proud to be part of such an incredible movement of teachers who care, not only for their students, but for their students’ families, their wider communities and colleagues worldwide.

Hannah Grieves

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This piece is part of the Teacher Task Force’s #TeachersVoices campaign, created to bring forward the experiences of teachers working every day to ensure their students continue to benefit from a quality education despite the COVID-19 pandemic. To participate, go to our dedicated webpage.

My name is Michelle, I live in Bangkok, Thailand.I teach Grade 10 English Language Acquisition and co-teach Grade 7 Individuals Societies. I am also a Service Club adviser.My students' ages range from 12 to 16 years old.

Life as an international teacher requires you to be incredibly flexible as you move between countries, cultures, and schools. However, nothing has required as much of a willingness to adapt and evolve my practice as being locked in my apartment and having to reinvent my approach to the classroom.

Teaching digitally has been much easier than I anticipated. To be honest, it has pushed my practice and approach to the classroom ahead in more ways than I can count, and the effects are still mounting. I am grateful for that - silver linings! But there are brewing storm clouds too.

The Slow Unraveling

I’ve been locked in my apartment for 2 weeks with at least a month to go according to the last update from the government. I have one of my daughters here with me and we are trying to keep each other distracted between our classes. Most of our friends and loved ones are in other countries and the sense of being absolutely alone creeps in unexpectedly at times. I don’t know when I will see my oldest daughter again and I can’t protect her from half the world away. Then this morning the call came that my mother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s, has been put into ICU with pneumonia, a mass in her lungs, and may have Covid19.

I can’t imagine how afraid or lonely she must feel. Even if I could get a flight from Bangkok to Houston, I wouldn’t be allowed in the hospital to see her. We, like so many, are locked down and unable to reach each other. I think that is the largest stress inducer for me – all control of this situation is out of my hands.

Until she became ill, there was no one thing that has been overly difficult, but concerns for the people I love, nonstop news updates, school emails, student messages laced with anxiety and fear, and learning new platforms and tech solutions all are adding up. As a teacher, it is hard to swallow the total lack of control over anything around me. The inability to create an entirely safe space for my students, daughters, or even myself. Below I’ve shared what has been helping me brave the storm. I hope you find something here that helps you too.

Advice from Lockdown

Relax

Take a deep breath and remember that no matter what, you are still the amazing teacher you were before your school closed. You will continue to be that teacher and your stress and worry for how you will keep teaching today is proof that you are dedicated and committed to reaching your students.

Start over

Your students are not only adapting to your new class and ways of digital teaching. They are also adapting to every other teacher they have and their new systems. Treat the first week like the first week of any school year. Teach expectations, set boundaries, get to know your kids in this new way, find a new balance and a new norm.

Slow down

The biggest surprise to me was how little work my students were able to accomplish in the same amount of time. Even if I kept them in Zoom with me to complete something, they fumbled and struggled to get the task done. We take it for granted that they are digital wizards because they live on their devices all day. They don’t have any more experience at this than we do, and they need time.

Laser Focus

Look at your lessons and decide what the most important things are for your students to master and keep your focus on those critical components. Add in the rest if you have time, but lock a laser focus on the heart of the topics and achieve those goals first.

Walk away

Do not let yourself fall into the trap of confusing down time and work time. Just because you moved your work to your home, doesn’t mean it should dominate your life. You and your students need you at peak mental and emotional health right now. Take breaks, walk away, and don’t let this overtake every part of your life. You are living in this crisis too. You have mental, emotional, and physical needs too. See to them first so you have something left to give to your students when you hit week 3, 6, or 10 of school closures. Locked down? Have a Zoom game night or dinner with friends. Take walks. Have a life. You need it to sustain you.

Reach out

Remember you are not alone. Most teachers are in the same situation you are and we are all just figuring it out. Join a group where you can find resources and advice from other teachers like Educator Temporary School Closure Community. Don’t just Zoom with your students, have check-ins with your co-workers to see what they are doing. Don’t feel as if you are the only one struggling. We are all adapting and coming together like never before.

Lean in

In the end we will all come out of this as better teachers with countless hours of self-study professional development from all the new systems we are adapting to. So find your fellow teachers and learn from them, teach them, and stand strong. Show your students what it really looks like to embrace a life-long love of learning and take them on the journey with you.

Michelle Overman

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This piece is part of the Teacher Task Force’s #TeachersVoices campaign, created to bring forward the experiences of teachers working every day to ensure their students continue to benefit from a quality education despite the COVID-19 pandemic. To participate, go to our dedicated webpage.