2020 has been a year for the books.
In my district, we flipped to remote teaching at the high school level at the last minute, leaving us barely enough time to scrape together some lessons for the first week back to school, distance-learning style.
We were told that we had to teach from the building.
We were not given all of the necessary tools to do so. So, I went out and bought a second monitor from Goodwill, figured out how to install it by myself because the LRC director was too busy with textbook pick-up, met with my PLC, and promised myself that it would be okay.
Fast forward eight-ish weeks and it hasn’t been perfect…but it has been okay.
The problem is that last week our board voted to bring back the high school students in-person, scoring another blow to the increasingly fragile sense of with-it-ness teachers are clinging to.
We keep hearing that we are doing a good job. But it’s not good enough.
So, at the end of the quarter, in the midst of a pandemic that hasn’t gone away, I will join other teachers who are being asked to do too much, much more than we ever thought possible.
I will be teaching remote students AND in-person students at the same time. While wearing a mask.
Students will be hybrid, alpha-split. They will join the class remotely on their “off” day(s) and in-person on the other(s).
They’re calling this instructional model concurrent teaching.
Concurrent Teaching
I’m still reeling. This is not what’s best for kids (and definitely not what’s best for teachers who care about what’s best for kids).
Yet, I have to make it work, teaching content while reminding students not to remove, pull down, or chew on their masks, to remain seated for the full 70 minutes, to use the bathroom one-at-a-time since bathrooms will be closed during passing periods, taking attendance, responding to remote kids via Zoom, responding to emails, organizing breakout rooms, lesson planning, feedback, grading, data collection, PLC-ing, adapting activities for online, keeping Classroom organized and up-to-date with clear instructions, responding to parent concerns, attending meetings of various shapes and sizes, moving between classrooms, sanitizing my workspace and computer, eating lunch and planning from my car (yes, we were told to go to our cars), and the list goes on and on.
I have to play my part, yet the most troubling thing is that I’m not sure how to play my part. I mean, this is uncharted territory.
I’ve been cast as the lead actress, yet I have no lines. I must make them up as I go.
This will surely be my finest performance. Oscar-worthy, I’m sure.
Real Talk about Teaching in 2020
Okay, okay. #realtalk
I’m going to throw down some teacher truth here. I’m not going to sacrifice my health and well-being to try and maintain the same standards and practices as pre-Covid (or even the same standards and practices as post-Covid 100% distance learning), nor should you.
It’s just not sustainable (Thanks for that new teacherism, 2020.).
When I signed my teacher contract, I did not sign up for concurrent teaching. I did not sign up for working beyond contractual hours, sacrificing exercise, sleep, and personal leisure because students need to learn.
That’s a hard NO from me… come at me.
Right now, our administration says things like “we’re a family” and “we’ll work together to do what’s best for students” yada yada. We are told to “make time for self-care” and to not work beyond contractual hours.
At the same time, we are being asked to do more than ever before. So which one is it? Because you can’t have it both ways.
When I’m faced with the option of choosing between school and home, burnout and health, I’ll choose home and health 110% of the time. My real family is not my school family. They will forget about me in a hot minute if I ever leave.
Three Ideas for Concurrent Teaching
So, what to do?
I will be the best teacher I’m able to be.
I will focus on student-centered learning and provide a lot of flexibility and choice.
I will do what I can, but no more than I am able.
And I’m going to be okay with that.
Idea #1: Stay the Course
In the interest of teacher sanity (and because neither I nor my students will be walking around the classroom and functioning in small groups), I may follow this model and keep teaching the way I have been, as if students are still fully remote.
Students will all log-in through Zoom, and I will facilitate learning for all groups of students as I have been doing, using a variety of online tools, choice boards, digital notebooks, and teacher mini lessons.
This is the best way to ensure equity for all students, including those who are in-person, hybrid remote, and fully remote.
Idea #2: Playlist & Book Groups
I am also thinking about creating a master playlist for students to work through on their remote learning days. In this playlist will be resources and teacher-created videos to guide students as they pursue inquiry-based research and podcasting in the classroom.
This is, in essence, flipping the classroom, but on a grander scale.
Meanwhile, students will engage in classroom discussions, book clubs, assessments, and teacher/peer conferences when in-person.
The only roadblock I foresee with this model is with students who are absent (because we will no doubt have a lot of these) and miss their in-person day. There is also the complexity of needing to teach fully remote students who will never come in-person (yup, that’s a third group of students we are being asked to teach).
Idea #3: College Model
I may turn my classroom over to reading and discussion with portfolio-based grading. I know in my gut that simplification is needed. Let’s read some interesting articles, poems, and books. Let’s listen to podcasts and TED talks. Let’s learn to talk intelligently and in-depth about what we are reading. Let’s write about our ideas using analytical, argumentative, expository, and narrative modes. Let’s reflect on our growth over time and choose our best work to put in an end-of-semester portfolio.
So, those are my thoughts for now. We’re all writing the concurrent teaching script together, so hang in there and be kind to yourself above all else. Like it or not, we ARE teaching in unprecedented times. Let’s be flexible enough to teach and take care of ourselves in unprecedented ways, too.
Dear Lindsay Ann,
Thank you for your candid and thoughtful inventory of how to approach your concurrent classroom. My hat is off to you and all teachers working so hard to make this S-show of a year work. I retired from teaching middle school special ed back in 2002 and I thank my lucky stars every day, not only that I’m not trying to manage what you are now, but also for the teachers who are currently teaching my daughter through DL in her junior year of high school. She is fine, bored much of the time, and a little depressed but basically fine. There are many students in our district who are absolutely NOT. As a result we are hoping to convince our board of trustees to move towards a concurrent hybrid model. I foresee something similar to what you’ve described, basically 20% students stay home full time (for parents who need this option do to health issues or high risk in the home.) Another 40% in the classroom in the same google meet as at home students but with a teacher or if needed a sub/proctor for when the teacher cannot come on campus. And finally 40% at home and alternating 2 days on 2 days off with the at school group. With your permission I’d like to share you game plan with our concerned parents, admins and teachers as an example of a simple and creative approach to educating in crazy-town circumstance.
Keep up the good work and feel free to share updates.
Cheers,
Marcel
Hi Marcel,
Certainly, please feel free to share my ideas with anyone who may benefit! This is certainly a crazy year and I have it better than a lot of teachers I’m hearing from. We are at 35% of our total student population in school on any given day, and it seems to be be working as well as can be expected. It is a lot to juggle for teachers with remote and in-person students at the same time!
Best Regards,
Lindsay