I'm doing my best to keep up with slicing on Tuesdays! All are welcome! Join us at Two Writing Teachers!
I'll get them to write these essays, I thought to myself.
I was excited to work with this group of fifth-graders. Their teacher had been telling me about how they turned their screens off, didn't write anything. When they did write, it was the bare minimum-- a sentence or two for the entire writing period.
"They are all capable," she explained. "They can write."
Equipped, planned, and ready with my best strategies for encouraging writers and meeting them wherever they are, I headed into a breakout room with five students. One didn't arrive. Somehow, his pathway along the digital road missed the entrance to Breakout Room 4. (Could have been intentional.) Two others showed up as letters in square boxes, despite my requests to turn their cameras on. At least I could tell from my Go Guardian screen that they were looking at me. I launched into my idea for them to start the process of an essay with all the research already done, and I shared my screen, explaining how I wrote a paragraph from a set of bullets, and inviting them to try it out with a different set. No one wanted to try.
"I don't get it," one said.
I persevered, and after longer than I would have liked, we had a second paragraph written. (I did the typing.)
"Please make copies," I said, "and share them with me. That way I can teach you better since I'll know what you're doing."
Three of them did. Nothing from the girl.
"Do you know how to do that?" I asked.
No response.
"I can show you," I offered.
No response.
"Want me to share my screen?"
Nothing.
Then she disappeared. Didn't even turn her video off first. Just left. And the GoGuardian screen told me that the student was off line.
Turns out she was upset and crying that she wasn't allowed to work on her own essay.
This online teaching is hard.
Happy Slicing,
Soooo hard and I can imagine that for someone who is not their every day teacher without the relationship going in, even harder. Good for you for trying.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry. I have a student that is turning off his camera during writing now as well because he is frustrated with the idea of stretching words himself this week. (I teach K). Oh the pandemic is making us all weary...even the youngest.
ReplyDeleteI can feel everyone's heartache in this post. How do we go on like this? There may be light at the end of this long dark tunnel, yet right now it seems extra dark for all involved in education.
ReplyDeleteI did a deep dive into Go Guardian. I think it's fantastic that this tech exists.
ReplyDeleteSecond, online teaching is hard. It's so difficult to keep kids engaged. I admire the fact that you were diligent and kept trying. It's easy to throw one's hands up when kids don't respond, but you kept at it.
One day things will get easier again.
So sorry!
ReplyDeleteOhhhhh I FEEL you on this one. Teaching online is HARD. Just plain HARD. And it makes hard things even harder. And yes, when we're in person, we still have lessons that, no matter our prep, still crash and burn. Online I know I feel it more keenly.
ReplyDeleteHere's hoping the next time around goes more smoothly!