Written by Ms. Louise Catherine Schache
No one was expecting CoVid 19. It was sudden and confronting. Despite the complexities of the situation, our school, SUIS, did a wonderful job in rolling out – rather speedily – the new interface for teaching for the first part of this semester. When it was announced I was not surprised as it seemed the most logical solution in the circumstances. Initially I had some concerns about what platforms we would be using however, these concerns became less so as the process unfolded. In cooperation with the parent community we were able to produce a platform that would support teaching and learning and the student’s homelife.
I have had previous experience with online teaching, so I was familiar with the limitations and affordances of this approach. There are definite strengths and weaknesses. One of the advantages in this situation is we can be certain that each child will have a device which is not always so in every class at school. This means that digital literacies will definitely get huge push forward. As this literacy is highly relevant in today’s world, I can only be happy with the outcome! One of the disadvantages is the dynamic between the teacher and the individual student. Students will often hug you, hold your hand or lean on you while you are explaining a concept to them. This of course is not possible online. I must say I miss this aspect of teaching. While there is this difference it does not stop me from having a laugh with them or finding time during a lesson where they can tell me what they have been up to during the week or the weekend.
One of the unexpected pleasures I have had during this season was getting to know the parent community. Previously this was not something that happened as a foreigner due to language and cultural barriers. This situation forced the issue. I have really enjoyed getting to know the parents and communicating the successes of their child. This has really helped me understand their context and therefore design lessons more suited to their situation.
While Covid 19 was unexpected and unfortunate and in some cases devastating, it hasn’t been all bad. In situations like these I like to look for the opportunities. As you can see there are many. I believe that this season will definitely make me a better teacher.