Being a middle school teacher, you get accustomed to change, especially dealing with evolving adolescents. However, March 2020 tested my ability to adjust to change. Due to Covid-19, millions of educators and students had to make remote learning their new norm. While we incorporate technology into our classrooms, we have never been prepared on how to teach virtually…FULL TIME!
I teach 6th, 7th, and 8th grade girls Health & Physical Education, so it is safe to say bringing my classroom to my living room can be pretty challenging. The first couple of days were rough to say the least. Teachers, school administrators, district administrators were scrambling trying to figure out how to make the spring semester fulfilling and beneficial to the kids, while making sure the parents had all the tools they needed as well.
My biggest focus in the beginning were my students, their well-being: physical, mental, emotional and social. A large part of our everyday lives is social and to have that change overnight for 10-14 year old children is a tall order to ask! I used a tool called Google Classroom to check-in with my students. I wanted to provide a safe space for my girls to feel comfortable to share with me what they have been experiencing. Remote learning is one hurdle but then you add on the “stay-at-home” order, which I knew would add another layer of distress on our students. I incorporated YouTube videos on mindfulness, breathing techniques to help lower stress levels, and beginning yoga poses.
The hardest part during this time for me as a teacher was keeping consistent engagement. There is nothing like being able to see someone face-to-face, have that interaction that really develops into a bond. You do not receive that same energy when you are limited to zoom meetings and email exchanges. Despite not being able to interact on a daily with my students, I challenged them to engage in something they wouldn’t have ordinarily done. For example, I would ask that for one week they go on a 20-minute uninterrupted walk with a family member. I was quite surprised at the amount of feedback I received from students, especially those who saw this practice as a relationship builder.
During this time, I learned a lot about myself as an educator and also learned that important role that I do play in my students’ lives. I was able to equip my girls with certain tools to help them cope through such an uncertain time. Yes, it is important to make sure students receive the necessary material, but I think we have learned that mental health for young people was not getting the type of attention it deserved. With the 2020-2021 school year in limbo for some areas, I do think it is important that we carry-over the same mindfulness when it comes to being proactive about mental health moving forward!
xoxo
Jori
