Welcome to Back to School in 2020!

 

So, the year 2020 has not been that great so far...I mean, we had Covid, protests, economic decline, quarantines, I could go on and on.  Now, our students are coming back to our virtual classrooms, and we have to be more than ready for them.

With all of the isolation and social distancing, our kids have faced lately, they need YOU more than ever.  So, what can you do to be there for them?  Make connections in ANY WAY that you can.

Reassure Them

Our students have to know that we will be there for them, no matter what happens in the coming days.  After everything our kids have been through over the past months (months??? It has ONLY been months??) They need some normalcy.  The schedule that you make for your students will count for everything, so ensure that you stick to it.  Your students will depend on you each and every day, and keeping a consistent schedule will do wonders.

Reach Out to Them

Our kids are dealing with anxiety, depression, loneliness, and a host of other issues that we know nothing about.  Using breakout rooms and mini-conference times will allow you to really get to know your students on a much deeper level.  They want connections, and you have to be there to provide them for each and every student, which means, you will need to have some virtual one-on-one time with your kids.

Engage Them

We CANNOT teach the way we used to, where the teacher talks for an entire class period while students take notes.  That will not be effective, and you are likely to turn off your students and make them "check out" of the class altogether.  So, how can you engage?  Use a variety of online tools that keeps students focused and still allow them to learn and problem-solve for themselves.

• Nearpod
• Whiteboard.fi
• Quizizz
• Flipgrid
• YouTube
• Screencastify
• GSuite Creation Tools

Just Be There

Your role is SO vital and crucial right now, and each student deserves the best school experience possible.  This really bizarre 2020 experience should be one that they NEVER forget, and that should be that they know HOW MUCH YOU CARE.  Hope you all have an AMAZING week because you all are AMAZING people!  Let's rock this year like there is no tomorrow because honestly, we all don't know what is coming next!