Ups and Downs of Distance Learning: Teachers are Champs

For those who read my previous blog post about Teaching from home, I trust that you found the information shared very relevant to you and you are now on your distance learning journey with your students or your own child/children. 

So I managed to set up my Zoom App online classes with my 3rd graders last week and I must say they are ABSOLUTELY loving it. Parents too are appreciative of the efforts taken to conduct these classes virtually; as most of them were indeed struggling to adapt to the homeschooling lifestyle.  Children will have a hard time adapting to sudden changes and as such we have to redirect and reassure them every step of the way. The moment my students got to see a familiar face linked to their learning process made it all worthwhile and memorable. For the most part  my classes have gone on well, however technology and internet connections have been on the downside especially during this time where it has taken on the lead role of communication more than ever before in its history of existence. So, yes like today my students were unable to see me, some unable to hear me and the internet connection was at an all time low; but nevertheless I managed to pull it off. 

The purpose for this blog post however is not totally about the glitches that I am facing while distance teaching but to gratify the remarkable role teachers like myself  have and continue to play not only in Jamaica but worldwide. Albeit our occupation has fallen under the microscope in order to decipher how well and how much we are doing for the children of tomorrow; we continue to proudly wear our hats as we do what we know best to do: ‘Teach’.  Teachers are human beings with families too, they are also affected by the pandemic surrounding us, they too are taking the necessary precautions to safeguard themselves and their families, they have to teach their own children and still make it a priority to connect with and teach yours. The conversations, memes, voice notes circulating our social media platforms paints a picture that depicts ‘parental trauma’ as most parents have found themselves in the seat of a teacher. School’s Out, children are home but the curriculum must be utilized even so. “Curriculum? homeschooling? But how?”, has echoed from the homes of parents near and far. Learning not only takes place within the four walls of classroom. In fact, learning occurs within every conversation we share with our children. So during this time, meaningful conversations will thrive. Parents
might have thought they would be doing it all on their own and so they quickly became overwhelmed and distraught. However, teachers are still employed and are therefore 
expected to utilize the necessary apps and social media 
platforms in order to assist you. I must highlight though, that not all teachers like myself will conduct online classes, but will do assistive learning in other forms. 
Now more than ever the role of the teacher has found itself at the top of the podium with bows, bouquets, accolades and other forms of gratuity offered up. I must reiterate that we too are heroes in our own right and should be treated as such regardless of circumstances. We have always heard your concerns towards educating and moulding your 
child/children and no we didn’t let it fall on ‘deaf ears’. We were always there working beyond the hour and behind the scenes to find innovative ways of helping each ‘individual’ within the confines of our classroom to excel in their own way. All we as teachers ever asked for was cooperation, consistency, communication and charisma (our Four C’s) from you all. Now we are all on the same platform trying to decipher what works best for our children during this time and I am confident in saying that most of us as parents have taken on a different view of the role of teachers as  ‘Champions’. I applaud all parents who always took the time 
to acknowledge the work of the teachers who have impacted the life of their child/children and for those who never always had the time or took the time out to do so that you too will get on route. We work best together and that’s what the COVID19 is teaching us to do right now. I salute all my educators for continuing to do the best you can for the nation’s children. Teachers are humans too. Teachers are Champs.