Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1337485
I F E E L L I K E I'm spinning plates in the air! And I am constantly adding more plates and trying to keep them from dropping. It's a juggling act. I have two computers running. I teach off one of them, and it connects to the smart board for the kids in class. My other computer is so I can monitor the kids who are online, and they can see my face (as a thumbnail) as well as the presentation on the smart board projected by the other computer. I make videos on Screencastify, which students can see at home. My kids with IEPs watch them over and over. I have found that it really helps for students to watch videos. Kids in class jump on their com- puters and do Google Meets to visit online at lunchtime, and I mute myself when they are visiting classmates, including those at home. It's a way for them to socialize. The pandemic has changed my teaching completely. And even though I've never worked harder, there are parts of this new style of teaching I am not willing to give up when things get back to normal. My teaching has gotten better because I have been learning more about technology. My biggest concern is keeping their attention. But I'm making it work, and so are my students. Amazingly, we are only two weeks behind where we were last year. I'm so proud of them. S P E C I A L E D U C A T I O N H A S different challenges than other classrooms. It's impossible for staff to keep 6 feet away because many students require assistance to do any major task. We have issues of bodily fluids and also aggres- sion with kicking, scratching and biting that put other students at risk during nor- mal times, but especially during COVID. Masks are a challenge for students with sensory concerns. We have plastic partitions at desks. I had to tape them down because on day one they went flying off the desks. We are sanitizing and tak- ing temperatures, and so far, there have been no outbreaks. Teaching simultaneously to students in class and at home is challenging. Those at school have "transitions" that take a long time, like bathroom breaks and recess, and kids at home are staring at the screen waiting for us to come back. I reposition the camera whenever I go to the whiteboard so students at home can see me. I make slides that can be viewed at home and in the classroom. I was opposed to going back for health and safety concerns. Now I feel conflicted because students have more positive educational outcomes when they are here — and I am happy to see them. But my concerns about cleanliness and social distancing in a special education environment have been confirmed. Precautions that work on paper may not always happen in the classroom. "I'm happy to see students, but my concerns about cleanliness and social distancing in a special ed environment have been confirmed." "My teaching has gotten better because I have been learning more about technology." 29 F E B R U A R Y / M A R C H 2 0 21 Denise McLean Like spinning plates in the air DENISE McLEAN, Enterprise Elementary Teachers Association, a math teacher at Parsons Junior High in Redding, teaches students in person and online concurrently. She may have two to five students in quarantine on any given day. Student cohorts attend classes and lunch together.