I Will Know How to Teach Them - Teaching During a Pandemic

 School starts soon. The pencils are sharpened and the folders are labeled. Some students will be walking in the front door with masks on. Some students will be sitting in their kitchen with the Zoom link clicked. All of them will want someone to be waiting for them. 

Last week, the Chicago Tribune published a commentary, “I will not know how to teach them” from a middle school teacher, Hillary Richards, concerned about in-person instruction in the era of the coronavirus.

Here is another perspective from me, a middle school language arts teacher in Arlington Heights: I will know how to teach my students, because I am their teacher. 

I have been preparing for my students all summer. I will teach them as I have every year since I began teaching: with a caring heart, a problem-solving mind, and a hope for the future found in each of my students. I have planned for this. I am not caught off guard. I am not confused. I will choose grace over grades and possibility over perfection. My philosophy of building community, teaching compassion, and engaging in creative learning experiences will remain the same.

The practical ways to care for and educate my students may look different, but that should happen every day as I am evaluating and engaging my students at their level. 

This year will have different procedures and routines. Students in school will sit further apart. They will not share their books and they will have their own calculators. Students at home will have their own calculators, too. They just may be stored on their dining room table instead of on the bookshelf by the flag. 

Each child had unique needs last year when I taught and this year is the same.  I will meet them where they are because each child is important. It doesn’t matter if they see me in person or in a square on a screen, I have the privilege to be part of their story. I will know how to teach them because I am their teacher…

Follow the link to Chicago Tribune to read the rest of the article.

During this crazy time, we need to remember God is in control whether we are teaching face to face or remote or a blend of both. We can do this!