This past year has been tumultuous throughout a number of industries and sectors. The field of education may be one of the fields with the most remaining questions. The uncertainty of how to teach certain subjects, how to manage students, and more – these questions are difficult and lack clear answers. We must do our best to work together and help our educators make the most of a bad situation. These keys to confidence could help educators across the country adjust to the new form of education.
- Highlight Successes: Part of the difficulty with distance learning is the simple fact that very few of us have experienced the format. But in today’s day and age, there are certainly some who have had success while teaching remotely – if not, you might actually find some of your educators are reacting well to the changes. Find out who is doing well and find out why – we can learn from each other while being teachers ourselves.
- Train Your Educators: The best way to succeed is to learn by doing – but oftentimes you have to be taught how to start. The process to learning how to teach at a distance can be overwhelming, so make sure whatever teaching process you have is manageable. Many educators, even younger ones, are not masters of technology. Even if it feels like they’re re-learning the wheel, don’t skip the basics.
- Provide Mental Health Support: This is perhaps the most critical key to success today. Learning a new system, dealing with students, adjusting curriculum – the life of even the most experienced educator has been thrown into disarray. Ensure that educators have the resources available to them so that they can stay in the proper headspace for teaching.
- Care For Your People: Show that you care by putting extra time towards checking in on your teachers. In a difficult time like this, it’s important that people are heard, and know that we’re all in this together.
This school year could be one of the most difficult in a long time – but resilience breeds innovation. It’s in this time that we should be closely examining what it means to educate and take the opportunity to question not just how we can move forwards, but why we did things the way we did. So Take these keys and approach the new normal with a healthy attitude.