Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1426376
I T H O U G H T I T would be easier. My district gave out computers to students at the beginning of the semester. I thought technology would be implemented gradually. Then we were told on a Friday we were going online next Monday. I'm grateful because my students and I already knew what to do. I miss the kids every day. On Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:15 until 11:30 a.m. there are actual meetings through Microsoft Teams Online Classroom. I hear students, but I cannot see their faces, even though they can see mine. Our dis- trict blocks their faces due to privacy concerns, so I just see myself when I'm teaching. I feel like I'm teaching to myself. It's lonely and a weird kind of feeling. I like to interact with them. Yester- day during class, I took my device into my backyard and showed them my chickens to offer my emotional support. I always record my lessons just in case students have questions. If I'm going too fast, students can watch it again. Also, kids do math now at their own pace. I guess those are a few perks. I worry about my seniors. Many of them have gotten jobs to help out at home. In a matter of days, they ceased to be high school students and entered adulthood. They are missing prom and other senior events. Because their grade can't be lowered, a lot of them stopped coming to the online meetings — especially those who are not going to a four-year college. They are done. To them, it's "Why bother?" Our administration team purchased 450 signs that said "Spartan Strong, Class of 2020" and we planted them in seniors' front yards. We waved at them from afar. It was a way of letting them know we care about them. It was a way to say goodbye. "I worry about my seniors. In a matter of days, they ceased to be high school students and entered adulthood." Panama, so I understand Spanish and speak a little to get by, but I am not fluent yet. I use a translation program to converse with my Latino parents to help them get online. Many parents have informed me that they do not have internet access at home. The school is trying to provide hot spots, and there is a long waiting list for hot spots. I am collaborating with my other two first grade teach- ers, and we divvied up the workload to make it easier on ourselves. My job is doing the math and art portion; another is doing phonics and language arts; and another is doing science and writing. We are posting lessons to our own classrooms and to each other's, all while differ- entiating to meet students' needs. I am always working. I have headaches from so much computer screen time. I live alone, and it is somewhat isolating. I feel like I am in a time capsule looking at the outside world through the window of my apartment or my computer. I wish I had known more about teaching with technol- ogy before this. There was so much to learn! At times, it can be overwhelming, but I am very hopeful for the future. Hugo Sierra helped plant yard signs for graduating seniors at his school. "It was a way of letting them know we care." A weird kind of feeling HUGO SIERRA MATH TEACHER at Jurupa High School, Fontana Teachers Association 23 J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 2 0