Distance Learning: Teacher Edition

The decision to continue with distance learning was not made without weighing the pros and cons repeatedly. Adjusting the curriculum, course expectations, and adapting to this new and different way of teaching has come with many challenges for our faculty members, yet the experience has also had some positive upsides and allowed for an in-depth look at the way classes were previously taught and how they can be improved. Three of our teachers (pictured above from left to right), Ms. Karri Kirsch, Physical Education Department Chair, Ms. Marisa Paolone '96, English Faculty; and Dr. Arjan Harjani, Medical Focus Program Director offered insights about their experiences since going BOLD.

WHAT HAVE YOU HAD TO DO IN TERMS OF AMENDING YOUR COURSE'S CURRICULUM?

Ms. Kirsch: The past four years we had made changes to our PE curriculum to incorporate social, mental and emotional health, in addition to physical health. When I first heard we were going virtual I had only a mild freak out about how we would handle online PE. Then I took a deep breath and realized we were going to be okay. I looked at our plans to incorporate physical, social, mental, and emotional health and this popped out at me - PSME. And I had an aha moment - PSME, (Physical, Social, Mental and Emotional). Psst, this is the time to take care of me. My answer was right in front of me. Now more than ever we as a department needed to make sure the students' physical, social, mental, and emotional health needs were being addressed so that is what we planned for and did.

Ms. Paolone: I have condensed the number of texts/ works studied and regarding those we are studying and will study, I have also cut down on workload and number of assessments, focusing more so than ever on the skills I want the students to hone. I have also taken many assignments and made them even more linear, so as to allow for better understanding.

Dr. Harjani: I've incorporated guest speakers, reading articles from a variety of online resources and summarizing them, watering down content and making it easy for a teen to understand. I've attended webinars, joined social groups such as UNICEF, Juvenile Diabetic Foundation, etc., had students listen to podcasts and write briefs, and used discussion boards to get student perspectives.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST DIFFICULT PART OF GOING BOLD?

Ms. Kirsch: The most difficult part is not being able to see the students.

Ms. Paolone: Not being able to establish student relationships quickly or at all - I am just getting to know some students at the end of the semester, as they have been very shy, uncomfortable, and/or scared. Having to stare at mostly avatars for each live block is quite difficult - I encourage students to turn on their cameras and have healthy interaction with me and their classmates, but my attempts have been pretty futile. I really, really miss the interaction that happens, uniquely, within each block. For example, there are always the blocks with the truly funny students, who bounce off your personality so well - I so miss that. Many of them don't know their classmates still. I also worry about their sleep schedules, as many tell me they go to bed at midnight or even later and that they don't necessarily adhere to the daily schedule. Many of them have challenges with motivation too - I wish I had a fix for that.

Dr. Harjani: Not seeing students' faces and not having an opportunity to engage one on one in the classroom, quad, gym, and other events has been difficult. Not getting a chance to interact with faculty, staff, visitors, parents, custodial crew, going to the park, the hospital next door, attending lunches with webinars along with doctors and nurses next door. Student attendance varies, there are tech problems, and sitting in front of a screen and missing the physicality of moving around in the classroom, which I do all the time - I hardly sit at my desk, sometimes not even for attendance, which I can do while standing at my desktop!

HAS IT BEEN MORE DIFFICULT TO GET THE STUDENTS ENGAGED AND FOCUSED, OR HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED THE OPPOSITE EFFECT SINCE STUDENTS ARE IN THE COMFORT OF THEIR OWN HOMES?

Ms. Kirsch: I think we are very good at addressing what I refer to as PE trauma. I usually spend two weeks apologizing to the students for what has happened to them in the past and reassuring them that this is a very different PE class. That has pretty much been the same. The PE department is very focused on building relationships and trust with our students so that has and will continue to be the focus for us. Once we establish that trust with one another, the dread disappears and we become comfortable with one another so the guards go down and we are good to go.

Ms. Paolone: Some students have newer devices and have an easier time running programs, etc. Some students only had the use of their cell phones, while waiting for their laptops to be fixed or while waiting to receive their new one. A cell phone is not at all ideal for online school. It has also been more challenging in a variety of ways - it is challenging to engage many, as most do not turn on their camera and many students are scared - some have parents in the medical field as well. Some do turn their camera on in small group settings, though it is still a very small fraction. I don't always or necessarily know what they are doing concurrently while signed on - many have more responsibilities at home now. With all the ways to post things, there is still no guarantee that students will find the info or choose to read/listen to it - I post in Teams, Schoology, and their agenda, along with making daily audio files that go over the agenda, with helpful, extra tidbits.

Dr. Harjani: Students that are engaged are engaged, motivation is very minimal because the bedroom is their

resting/relaxing/sleeping/playing place, and the kitchen is not too far away, so there are lots of "distractions." Some students are really having difficulties because they are not "machine" controlled and their devices kind of cripple them and leave them feeling helpless in a sense. Yes, it does take more coaxing, encouragement, optimism, and push to get students interested in their engagement and learning because emotionally, it is extremely difficult for a teenager to get going on his/ her own - even with parents at home to help out, this is limited, because parents are so used to having the teachers do that while the child is away from home and at a safe location on school campus - parents know that their child is fully taken care of and is in safe hands.

WHAT (IF ANYTHING) IS SOMETHING THAT YOU ENJOY ABOUT VIRTUAL CLASS?

Ms. Kirsch: I love being able to respond to the students' needs. I spent a lot of time this summer planning on what to do but once I met the students and heard from them, the curriculum was redesigned and the material was recreated so that it fit with what they needed. We have been able to bring in guest speakers from both inside and outside our community to talk to the students about emotional and mental health issues.

Ms. Paolone: I can tell you that I have seen the gap between teachers and students, lessen - narrow. I have always tried to relate to my students and many methods are successful, but in this time, it is more apparent that we are all incredibly vulnerable, and perhaps all the time at that.

Dr. Harjani: I enjoy the flexibility and adaptability, spending more time to get to connect with students. My planning style has changed and has some good points and some not, due to last minute adjustments.

HAS THIS CAUSED YOU TO RETHINK YOUR LESSON PLANS MOVING FORWARD?

Ms. Kirsch: Absolutely. Before we were using someone else’s curriculum and now, we have custom built it based on the needs of our students. This has been an amazing benefit for us and I love the resources we have been able to build because they are based directly on what our students told us they needed. Ms. Paolone: Yes, it has allowed me to focus on what is truly most important—each assignment is crucial to their progress, though over the course of a regular semester, I have at times, inundated them with some assignments that could have been condensed.

Dr. Harjani: Focus more on the student relationships rather than content but not ignoring the expected curricular requirements, and allowing more "breaks" and "brakes" for students.

ASIDE FROM THE OBVIOUS OF MISSING YOUR STUDENTS AND COLLEAGUES, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU MISS?

Ms. Kirsch: Clearly I miss the obvious things such as the students and my colleagues but I don’t miss the smell of the gym at all. I would however take the smell of the gym any day of the week to be able to have that face to face interaction.

Ms. Paolone: I miss every single, solitary nuance of work - the kids, their laughs, their hellos and good mornings, my colleagues, the sound of the bells, the lockers opening and closing, singing the alma mater, the lunch line scatters, the singing in the halls, the front office.

Dr. Harjani: I do miss my routine, greeting students, interactions, etc. and meetings that we have in the MPR.