What actually is the difference between a venue of Zoom and physical Room? Quite a lot. There are many things you can do the same, well kind of the same. There are others that you must drastically alter in order for them to fit into a virtual setting. The most important thing however, is not to consider them different. Not different in any way, except the fact of location.
I have been teaching virtually for awhile now- last spring being my launch into a synchronous/asynchronous existence. Classrooms were designed for desks, tables and chalkboards. For student interaction. For having conversations. For building relationships.
Zoom for quick meetings. Now the two have conjoined into a realm beyond anyone's expectations.
Last spring as we were placed on the treadmills of teaching, we all felt we were losing our identity. That out places of educational exchange, were forever altered. They have been. Zoom is now synonymous with education. With classroom learning.
We also were placed under scrutiny.
Would children continue to learn?
Would teachers be prepared to teach virtually?
Would students attend classes and participate?
Last spring there was no talk of how challenging, engaging or well-designed lessons were. We were merely trying to construct a platform on which a classroom could digitally be designed. It varied of course with success rate- nationally and globally- but we tried, educators tried with all the muster they had to keep things as normal as possible.
Then we had summer. A season unreasonable and unrelenting. Keeping many isolated.
This gave time for the educational system to make decisions- to decide- to discover. I think above all else- they discovered the fortitude and dedication of most teachers and educators. Yes, many walked away. There was dissention and a lot of criticism and anxiety. But come fall we stepped up. We planned, we designed, we began a school year.
Many virtually for a set of time. Some now, well into the school year, continue teaching from a computer. And they still are building functional, inspirational settings for children. But, a lot of districts came back, opened their doors, allowed students a choice. Allowed parents to ultimately have a say. They could keep their children at home on Zoom, or they could send their students back into a brick and mortar classroom.
We had most of our district remain on Zoom- but slowly, but surely, students began to reenter the building. Every quarter more and more begin to come back. Teachers are designing lessons for large Zoom, small Zoom, hybrid, Small class, Large class style. Designing lessons that do not fill a quota or just get the job done. There has been a giant shift in the way we think, plan and implement our lessons. There has to be.
Some of us teach both Zoom and Room. Its a juggling act of mask on, mask off. Filled room, empty room. Names on screen, students in seats. It is a pivot that teachers are used to- in fact we expect it. So when we were asked to take a deep breath and go with it. Embrace the sudden and continual shifts of day to day teaching- we did.
We are dancing, sliding, shuffling in a giant conga line- Zoomba, Roomba line. But, we are not slowing our pace. We are not allowing the music to stop. We are in a loop that one day will slow a bit- but for now is snake like slither with no end in sight.
We adjust, we plan, we tweak, we sit in chairs, walk around rooms.
We make eye contact on digital planes and physical ones.
We smile, we teach, we listen.
We are making sure that every students has a voice.
We are teachers, and we might not like the exhaustion of the Zoomba Rooma pace- we might sleep more. Shake our heads more in frustration. But we bugger on.
In fact now that our days are musical numbers, we have a little more muster, and a lot more endurance.
So, we wake up and do it all over again.
Because.....
That's what we do.
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