In my first year teaching, I arrived at school with a terrible misconception. I thought I would be handed a schedule of classes and groups to teach. As a new teacher, I wasn’t prepared for the reality at all. I spent several afternoons crying and sorting through piles of paperwork, trying to figure out how to fit 8 hours of instruction into a 6 hour day. Ultimately, I failed. It took a mentor, a partner, and two administrators several days to help me work out the kinks before I could actually start teaching. It required creativity. We had to do things like group two different grades together. We had to divide 45 minutes of service into three 15 minute blocks. We had to eliminate all of my supervision duties, which earned me resentment from my new colleagues. It was awful.
And I’ve had to do it every year since.
You see, Special Educators aren’t given a schedule. They’re given a caseload and a pile of IEPs (Individual Education Programs) that outline what services need to be provided to the students. And it is up to us to make it happen. We’re flexible. We’re creative. We’re resilient. We work together. And almost every year, we’re able to make it work. Sometimes we have to hire another part time person to help with the load. Sometimes we have to team up to tackle a problem. But we usually wind up with a complicated, creative schedule that meets the needs of our students.
This gets easier with experience. You learn what classes are required and which ones aren’t. You learn who is the most flexible of your colleagues. You figure out how to teach two lessons at the same time. You break kids into groups. You partner them creatively. You plan multiple lessons so that kids still have quality instruction when they are working independently. You advocate for the best possible paraprofessional staff because those are the people who hold it all together when it feels impossible.
But, despite knowing all of this, even seasoned Special Educators often begin the year thinking, this is never going to work.
In a typical year, we spend hours upon hours in May and June placing kids in specific groups and teams so that we can provide all of the services that they require.
This year, all of that work was done… but it’s being complicated by the fact that all of these kids aren’t guaranteed to be in the same cohort. They could be moving through their classes on opposite days, doubling the time that we have to spend teaching that group. Some of them are choosing to stay home and participate in entirely remote schooling. To complicate things further, kids on IEPs might receive different amounts of in-school instruction. While their peers could be in school two days a week, some students will be in-person for four days of instruction. They’ll attend classes for two days, and then receive specialized support and instruction on the alternate days.
We’re still trying to figure out how that will work. Will they complete remote assignments? Something different? Can we change their class times? Add staff? If I’m teaching an English class in my room, where will the other group be? Who will teach them? The unanswered questions make my head spin.
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I have to pause and say that I have been incredibly impressed with the administrative team in the district where I work. They have created thoughtful plans, working with educators and stakeholders to ensure that we are prioritizing the safety and health of our staff and students. I am glad to be working in my current district; I’ve worked in several school systems where educators were dismissed and mistreated. I’ve worked in places where the union and the school administration functioned as adversaries. I’ve worked in places where the bottom line was always the most important consideration. I’ve worked in places where teachers were dispensable, especially as they became more experienced and more expensive.
So, as my anxiety builds coming into this crazy new teaching experiment, I am reassured by our administrators. My concerned and questioning emails always receive a reply. Sometimes the answers are clear. Sometimes the answer is, “We’re working on it.” Sometimes the reply is, “Thanks for bringing that to our attention.” Our administration is responsive and collegial and supportive. I have faith that we’ll figure out all of the complicated scheduling details together. But that’s only the first step.
In addition to complex scheduling, we’ll also be dealing with substantial changes to the WAY we teach.
Tried and true methods will need to be revised.
One of the most essential and evasive things that new teachers need to learn is classroom management. To some, this comes naturally. To many, it’s a hard-earned skill. But it is also highly personal. Everyone approaches it differently. Here are a few things that teachers do:
-Use proximity. Sometimes standing next to a student is all it takes to change off-task behavior. Teachers in many schools are now being instructed to stand at the front of the room, without moving during class.
-Call kids by name. They pay more attention and they respond more quickly. Teachers recording lessons are being asked NOT to use names for privacy reasons.
-Use nonverbal cues. Instead of calling out a kid’s behavior, most of us shoot a warning look across the room. Or we tap the desk. Or we simply take away a distraction (toys or phones) while continuing to teach. Masks and distancing rules make many of these strategies ineffective.
-Make it interesting. Don’t sit at your desk. Don’t lecture. Instruction should be creative and engaging. Use project-based learning. Do experiments. Play games. Get the kids up and moving. Many of the things that we’ve come to accept as best practice simply won’t be possible under new guidelines.
-Provide unobtrusive support. When a student with executive functioning concerns can’t find his paper, silently hand him another one. When a student with ADHD is daydreaming, tap on her desk to help her refocus. When a dyslexic student is struggling with a word, show him where the syllables break. So many of these strategies require shared materials and close proximity. What is safe? What will be allowed? Under what circumstances?
-Group students for the task at hand. Sometimes, we want all of the strong students in one group, so we can provide them with a more challenging task. Sometimes we want to vary the levels of ability in the group, so that they can learn from and teach each other, because teaching is one of the best ways to learn something new. Sometimes we want them to be with their friends. Sometimes we want them to practice negotiating with difficult peers. Contact tracing means that kids will be working with or near the same peers for much of their day. IF group work can even happen, it won’t be flexible.
-Differentiate instruction. Students (especially those on IEPs) have different needs. They don’t all move at the same pace. So there are discreet ways to meet each student where they are. Maybe they have a math worksheet. All of the even numbered problems are the same, so we go over those together. The odd numbered questions might be review, or simplified, or challenge problems. Kids don’t all have the same sheet, but they don’t know it. Maybe we’re taking notes. Some students have an outline to fill in. Some have a mostly completed outline with a few blanks to fill in. Some students have a complete outline and they need to highlight or add definitions. In middle school, there’s almost always more than one version of the test. Maybe there’s one with simplified language for kids who are learning English. Maybe there’s one with fewer problems for kids who test slowly. Maybe there’s an audio version for kids with dyslexia. I recently realized that, while nearly ALL teachers do this to some extent, many families and parents don’t realize that it’s happening. That’s how it works if we do it well. If we eliminate or reduce paper, or stop sharing headphones, or stop walking around the classroom, we will have to change the way we differentiate. It will require commitment and creativity.
I’m sure my colleagues could add infinitely to this list. We’re having to re-imagine education. We’re adjusting and innovating and modifiying. We’re teaming up to tackle problems that many parents are entirely unaware of.
But the thing is… we will do it. We always do. That’s what I’ve learned in two decades of teaching. Every year, I’ve come to the table thinking, this is never going to work.
And every year, I find myself surrounded by passionate, creative, enthusiastic, professional educators. I am consistently impressed by their commitment and grit and teamwork. Every year, we do whatever it takes. We buy materials and write grants. We purchase curriculum and create what we can’t find. We scope ‘Teachers Pay Teachers’ to find quality materials that our colleagues have already created. We connect with students and parents. We form relationships. We get to know our students. We anticipate needs. We modify what doesn’t work and expand on what does. We share ideas and we learn from each other.
Teachers are professionals. We do what we do because we love it and because we’re good at it. Problem solving is just one of our superpowers.
But this year, more than any other, our jobs will be made so much easier if we could all extend each other a little grace. Let’s adopt a few basic beliefs… for both parents AND teachers.
We are all learning.
We would love to go back to ‘normal.’
There will be bumps… but we are doing our very best.
Teachers can try to be understanding… When your teen oversleeps on his remote learning day. Or your first grader couldn’t find her crayons at home. Or your internet went down on the day of the big presentation.
Parents can try to be understanding… When the online assignment doesn’t load. When the grading takes longer than usual. When your child complains about restrictions at school.
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How many times have we heard, “We’re all in this together?” Well, the thing is… for educators and parents, that’s nothing new. We’ve always been in this together.
We’re all in the job of trying to do what’s best for kids. To help them grow and develop into functional, kind, educated, capable citizens. And while COVID has changed so many things, that still remains. Teachers, administrators, and parents are all in this crazy, scary, unprecedented thing together.
For now, we can take a beat. We can sit for a moment with the fear that this is never going to work. But we can’t stay there. Pretty soon, we’re all going to buck up a bit. We’re going to put on our big kid pants and figure it out. We’re going to make it work, because that’s what teachers (and parents) do best.