It’s been nearly one year since the switch to distance learning. The emails began on March 18, 2020, where teachers were advised to prepare to begin thinking about how their courses could be shifted to distance learning. On March 30, 2020, we hit a soft launch of distance learning and now in 2021, the milestone marked a time to reflection and introspection in myself, especially in how I’ve grown as a person and a teacher.
Here’s what I’ve reflected on:
- Learning extends beyond the physical walls of the classroom.
I’ve held onto this principle way before distance learning, but distance learning forced this statement to be more true than ever. How students engage in learning may have shifted, but students are learning, even if it looks different than before. In fact, I believe that distance learning acted as a catalyst to allow students to build skills that translate directly into the real-world. For example, the use of educational technology, learning how to join online meetings, schedule calendar events with integrated video conferencing and guest invites, and even learning how to do assignments asynchronously with intrinsic motivation. - The hardest battle for me has been determining where the line is on whether I should enforce deadlines without compromise as a means of teaching responsibility or showing grace with the fear that I am teaching that it’s ok to miss important deadlines.
I wrestle with this every single week. When I assign work, I work hard to make sure that it’s purposeful (not busywork), builds 21st century skills, and is aligned to the content and standards that are being taught. When I get a 50% submission rate, it’s discouraging. I’ll also receive emails from my students telling me that due to “x” circumstance, they will have to submit the work in late. I really appreciate these emails because I know that even as professionals and in the real-world, there are times when we’re going to have to provide an update, submit a form, complete a task, late because of unforeseen circumstances. An important skill in these times is ensuring that students are being professionals by providing an update to their future boss and asking whether the circumstances would allow for the work to be completed by _____ day instead of the initial day. The communication is key and I am glad that students are practicing this habit of mind. How many times is too many? Which circumstance is an allowable circumstance without penalty and which is not? If this becomes a pattern, I believe that this is completely reasonable to address, but are we not understanding the challenges to students mental health, external circumstances and factors during this time?
I’m not sure if I figured out where the line is yet, but I’m learning that the line is subjective and that what I appreciate most is that students are turning in work. Something that actually stood out to me was a student who requested that they turn in a project late because it was taking them longer to do than the allotted time frame for the project. When they submitted the project, it was not only one of the best that I’ve seen, but all of the animations were beautifully drawn. I’m not advocating for missed deadlines and stating that this practice is acceptable, but that what I’ve learned during this time is to provide space and an ear when students need time beyond a strict deadline. Rather than instantly telling them that the deadline is there for a reason and nothing can be submitted after that timeframe, listening and seeking to understand, even if the deadline needs to be enforced, has been a lot more successful during these times. I’ve included the student work at the bottom of this reflection!! - I hear many, and even told myself at one point, that this isn’t the same job that I signed up for… until I thought about it a bit more and realized this was the furthest thing from the truth.
When I got into teaching, I got into it so that I could interact with students, teach them about the joy of science, and lead my students to realize that they are the future STEM professionals. It looks completely different the previous two years and when we shifted to distance learning and working through Zoom, I told myself that this job is different. Then, I started to realize that it’s not the job that’s different, but how I do the job. The job is exactly the same. I am interacting with students, teaching them about the joy of science, and leading my students to believe that they’re the future STEM professionals. The delivery mechanism might be different, but the underlying reasons of why I love and got into teaching remained the same. I reached a bit of burnout the first few months that we shifted to distance learning because of that mentality, but over time, I began to realize that I’m doing what I love each day. I can’t wait to be in the classroom, but I’m also working to be the best teacher that I can be even when we’re not in the classroom because my job description and the reasons why I love this profession remain the same.
There’s a lot more that I want to write about and a lot more that I’ve learned from my reflection, but it’ll take forever to write. I believe that the three points above really highlight the biggest themes that I had in mind. My energy and passion for teaching has honestly fluctuated a lot throughout the year, but what I know is that as I keep reflecting on myself as a teacher and why I feel the way that I do, I can center myself towards the reason why I love teaching. The job is the same, but the mechanism by which I’m doing the job is different. That’s ok because I’m learning and growing a lot as a teacher. I have no doubt that when I go back to teaching fully in person (not hybrid), even that won’t be the same because of the experiences that I’ve gained in this past year.
Students are still learning and the quality of work and content depth that they’re displaying in their projects are an indicator of that. Here’s an example of one that was fully animated and written by the student below. It’s a series of slides. You can find that by clicking on the button below.
Daniel K Lieu, Ph.D. 
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