It's Really not All Bad

I have started to write a new blog post many times, but stopped because I could not think of anything I have to say that is different than any other teacher in America right now. Yes, some of the kids won't turn on their cameras. Yes, some of the kids are struggling. Yes, it is hard. But really, in some ways, it isn't that different than what we struggle with when teaching in person. There are always kids who rarely speak, kids who struggle, and it's always hard. As teachers, we are always working to connect with our students and build a sense community. We reach out to those who struggle. That is our job! One of my big concerns with teaching online was whether or not I would "bond" with my students. How would I get to know them? I definitely feel as though I have bonded with them. I LOVE my students this year and feel that I have gotten to know most of them pretty well. Like many of my wonderful colleagues, I put some effort in to make this happen. It started over the summer when I created countless hyperdocs(interactive lessons in Google Slides) for my students. My goal was to make them creative,fun, and engaging. I wanted my students to look at each one and think, "Wow. Our teacher cares about us." That's why I typed Made with ❤️️ by Mrs. Karney on each one. These were truly a labor of love, and I learned SO about Google slides much while creating them. When students enter our Google Meets, I make a point to say hello to each person by name. I notice their new hair cuts. I ask them what they ate for breakfast. Sometimes I have music playing, a question for them to answer in the chat, a funny meme, or optical illusion. Just something to start class on a positive note. One of my struggles was getting students to talk in breakout rooms. Some of my students are experiencing some social anxiety right now and being in a meet with strangers was difficult. I gave them an opportunity to fill out a Google Form and indicate one to three people they would feel comfortable working with. I also gave them a chance to list someone they would prefer not to work with. Then, I created breakout rooms based on their preferences. It took a long time, but it was worth it. Every student got at least one of their picks. Very few students mentioned people they didn't want to work with, but I made sure to meet those requests. Overall, the breakout rooms are going much better. I definitely hear more talking and even some laughing. I make sure to check in with each breakout room at least twice. They often have questions, and I love having the ability to chat with them on a more personal level. Google Classroom is key in regards to being able to have ongoing dialogue with my students. For example, when I return an assignment, I may say "Thanks for turning this in, Johnny. I hope you are enjoying the book so far." They almost always respond with how much they are loving our current book. Another thing that has blown my mind is how often they have THANKED me for my feedback and comments! Recently one of my students decided to revise a summary he had written. I use standards=based grading, and he had gotten a 2 and wanted to improve his score. . I always allow students to revise for a higher grade. Anyhow, I could see on my end that he was in the process of revising, so in real time, I made a comment.

I have been so blown away with how kind and polite my students have been this year. For example, students can post questions in the stream in Google Classroom any time with a question. I sometimes don't see the question until the next day. However, my students always step up and help out with an answer!

They are also advocating for themselves! Here's a lovely email I received from a student today:

This comment was posted randomly in our stream by one of my students, and it made my heart smile!

Finally, I have made an extra effort to reach out to parents and share positive comments with them as much as possible. Who doesn't like to be acknowledged and appreciated? Thursday and Friday were especially exciting for me. I had many students volunteer to read aloud for the class! We are reading The Outsiders, and the students love it. Honestly, I could not have asked for a better group of students to do distance learning with. I look forward to seeing them every day, and I have gotten all of them to turn on their cameras at one point or another. I know that all of my colleagues are working hard to build relationships with their students, and it is SO doable!