When I started teaching some gazillion years ago, I cranked out (literally, you cranked a handle) copies on a mimeograph machine. I had the purple fingers to prove it. I taught so long ago, that I was one of the chosen few who had A computer in my classroom...an Apple IIe; the e was for enhanced in case you were wondering. It sat in the corner of my room like a shrine to the future of technology in the classroom. To be honest, I was a bit afraid of it. Cranking a handle I could do, but computers have always stressed me out. Maybe it was because I never recovered from the trauma of taking a computer science class in college and dropping all the BASIC computer cards right before I needed to turn them in. It was a dark time in my life. I would rather not revisit it. Who knows. Suffice it to say, I am no Steve Jobs. Technology has never been my forte.
Thanks Covid. Now my entire teaching life is technology.
Teaching is now all...
Screencastify
and Loom
and Zoom
and Play Posit
and Flip Grid
and Pear Deck
and ClassLink
and Google Classroom
and Securely
and Schoology
and I can even create a Bitmoji classroom.
But you know what I can't do? I can't shake hands every morning with my students. I can't look them in the eye and know how they are doing. I won't know who didn't have a good night based on their body language. I won't be able to celebrate a win on the court or field from the night before. I won't know who needs a hug or be able to give them one. No more high fives. No more almost getting knocked over by a particular student giving me a hug. ( I think I will miss this the most) No more jokes in the hallway as students pass my room. No more spontaneous conversations about life. No more up close and personal interactions.
Virtual relationships are not the same.
And for me, teaching is all about the relationships.
Authentic, spontaneous, genuine, relationships.
Not the sterile, virtual kind.
I can learn how to use Screencastify and Pear Deck. I hate Flip Grid, but I will use it. I will Loom and Zoom and Play Posit. Maybe I will even figure out how to have a Bitmoji classroom. Who am I kidding? No I won't.
But how am I going to build relationships with students virtually like I could when they were right there in front of me?
How will I build trust and create a safe place for them to land?
These are the questions that keep me up at night. Well that and the fact that I have gained enough Covid weight that now I snore and wake myself up every two hours.
But still.
I believe building relationships is more important than ever before for our students. Creating meaningful connections is the second pillar of creating a trauma informed classroom. You can read about the other 2 pillars Here . All of our students are coming to us having experienced the trauma of a pandemic. Some will have less of an impact than others, but all will have experienced some negative effects. More than ever, all students will need a classroom that creates safety and strong connections.
The challenge is to do it virtually.
I do not have it all figured out yet. But one thing I know for sure is, as educators, we will make it happen.
But does it have to be with Flip Grid???
Also, if Mr. Rogers could do it then so can I.