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THROUGHOUT the year, we’ve acknowledged the struggles students face with online learning. Yet, we often overlook those who are not only trying to adapt but to do better to provide for their students.
The teaching profession is a 'warzone' of constant adaptation. Among them – adapting to generations, culture, the ever-changing systems, and now to the new-normal triggered by the pandemic.
Even before the pandemic, teachers who held fast to how things were done ‘back in the day’, have been left behind. What more in a time where education has taken a turn for the future.
As classes moved online, even the best educators are finding it difficult to conduct lessons through this new platform.
When planning a lesson, a teacher takes into account their students’ prior knowledge. Equally important are their learning styles – auditory, visual and kinesthetic.
As lessons are now limited to two-dimensional screens, teachers are limited by the number of resources they have.
This is especially challenging for teachers who include a lot of movement within their classroom. It's also difficult for hands-on lessons, such as science experiments and Technical and Vocational Education (TVET) courses.
Imagine trying to teach a class how to use a Bunsen burner. Where now students can only watch a video of it, or even worse, read descriptions about it, instead of being able to conduct it.
With the limited resources, it is up to the teachers to make these kinds of lessons applicable to students through the screen.
The amount of hands-on learning that teachers can provide their students is not limited. It is completely absent as both students and teachers are glued to their computer screens.
Yet, the limitations of screens are not the only obstacle that teachers face. It is the physical, emotional and mental presence of their students.
In a physical classroom, teachers have more agency to manage their students due to personal interactions.
Teachers can catch students when they mentally drift off in class or check in with them when they miss classes. They won't miss the subtle emotional detours that their students face throughout the day.
Immediate and personal actions can be taken within a physical classroom, but not when everything is virtual.
Physical attendance also became a significant issue. Students have either lost the motivation to show up for classes – the newly discovered ‘Zoom fatigue’ – or technical difficulties prevent them from doing so.
Teachers are now juggling implementing consequences on students who skip classes, being empathetic towards those whom they know have no access to classes, and figuring out how much to proceed in their lessons.
While an educator’s effort has always been to bridge the gap among students, online learning has created a bigger gap. Those who can and are attending classes versus those who can’t.
This becomes emotionally taxing for teachers who have dedicated their lives to helping students be the best version of themselves. Especially when these are logistical issues that are beyond a teacher’s control.
Sure, we’ve seen and heard of teachers who were able to rise above the occasion, but there are still many out there who still struggle and try – to no avail.
Yet, despite all the headaches and heartaches teachers are going through during these challenging times, there’s no backing down as they are united more than ever.
This can be seen in the creation of social media groups as a form of support; such as the forthecikgu Instagram page. – The Vibes, December 31, 2020
