Teaching has become more stressful now than it ever was during this time of the Covid-19 pandemic. This is new for everyone, and there is a lot of uncertainty about how teachers should move forward. Are my students still learning? Did I assign too many online assignments? How do I rewrite all my plans for the rest of the year? The most important thing to remember is no matter what you’re doing, this is all new and its okay to change your new plans two, three, four, or however many times it takes to get it “right”. Here are a few reminders as we move forward.
Take it easy on your students
This is stressful for everyone, and all of your students have different lives and responsibilities at home than at school. If you feel like you aren’t assigning enough work or the assignments are not challenging enough, let it be. Don’t feel pressured to assign more work, and also don’t be afraid to assign less work either. This adjustment period is new for everyone and all students are going to be able to complete their work at a different rates.
Take it easy on yourself
Make sure to find some time in your day to take care of yourself. Read a book, watch a show, go for a walk, cook a nice meal, whatever you need to do as long as you are giving yourself some time to decompress. Once again, this is a new experience for everyone, and we are all trying our best. Try not to feel defeated or discouraged if you are having problems with online learning platforms or coming up with redesigned lessons.
Moving forward …
As we move forward, remember that you are not alone this. If you are having a hard time coming up with ideas and ways to redesign your lessons to fit the online learning platforms, talk to other teachers about it. If you have a student who hasn’t posted any work or logged on to zoom classes, reach out to them. Most importantly, you are doing enough, you’re learning new things and getting better every day, and you are not going through this alone.