Challenges of Teaching in 2021
Talk to any teacher right now and you'll hear variations on the same story - teaching is difficult right now. Every day, there are articles about teachers quitting midyear or about schools shifting to remote learning for a day or two because of the substitute or bus driver shortage. I know that I am luckier than most as my school as yet to shift to remote learning this year and I've only had to give up my planning period once this year due to a sub shortage.
Some of these challenges we anticipated - record numbers of teachers quit after the 2020-2021 school year, so many districts went into the year at a deficit. We knew from last year that it was difficult to find subs and bus drivers as those populations tend to be at a higher risk of COVID due to age or other health issues. We knew there would be learning gaps from the disruptions of the past 18 months. But, I think it was the unanticipated issues that really got us...
- Classroom Management
This one is a biggie! I've never had huge issues with classroom management - I've always believed that most classroom management issues were related to lack of organization and routine, a lack of knowing expectations, and a lack of a solid instructional plan. This year proved me wrong. Now granted, I've never had an entire day of freshman and sophomores, but one thing I realized this year is how important it is to learn how to be with other people. I've never had to say things like "keep your hands and feet to yourself" or "don't throw things across the room" to high school students. While I know some of these issues come from students trying to cover up academic gaps, most of it is just from the toll of 18 months of limited social interaction. - Technology
In 2020-2021, we all recognized the importance of technology. Believe me, I was so grateful for Desmos, Loom, and other tech tools to help me make it from day to day. But in 2021, I wasn't prepared for the level of (for lack of a better word) addiction to technology. The students are almost conditioned to open up their Chromebook each day, even if we aren't using it and anytime there's even a pause, they grab their cell phones. Don't get me wrong - I know plenty of adults who do that too (even me at times), but I didn't anticipate the need for the constant redirection of when technology use is appropriate. However, on the flip side, I over-assumed (is that a word?) that students would be proficient at looking at our LMS to see what they missed. This is something that I need to do a better job of in the future - teaching them HOW to use the LMS and stay caught up when they are absent. - Re-learning how to Teach and Learn
I anticipated SOME of this issue, but not to the extent that actually has occurred. When setting up my room last summer, I was so excited to have kids back in groups, to be able to move around the room. But I went into it with the idea of jumping back to 2019 without adequate preparation on my part. It was like getting my "sea legs" again - how could I prepare lessons that would capture their (very short) attention? In thinking about the 2021 school year, I hadn't prepared enough for teaching students how to take notes again, transitioning between activities, or keeping them on task.
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