Adjusting to the New Normal: The Freedom of Online Education
by Alyssa Fox, Guest Writer
The Start of a Beautiful Relationship
At 4:30 a.m., the alarm on my phone rang, but it didn’t matter.
The jittery butterflies in my stomach had already woken me up an hour before. Instead of snoozing at least twice like I have always been known to do, I quickly turned it off and sprang out of bed. It was time to get ready for my first morning of online teaching. I put on a bright orange shirt that I knew would stand out on camera, brushed my teeth, and secured my hair back into a ponytail. My eyes were tired, but I opted to ditch my glasses and wear my contact lenses in an attempt to look my best for class. I think I even put on a little mascara! I didn’t bother to change out of my pajama pants.
I made the 30 second commute downstairs to my living room where my in-home classroom was all set up and ready to go. I poured myself a cup of coffee, but the jitters of nervousness and excitement in my belly did not allow me to drink it. I was prepared (okay, probably over prepared) to teach two back-to-back lessons to two brand new students.
I logged on and clicked “start” to begin my first class at 5:00 a.m. sharp. Five minutes passed, and then 10, and then 15. Finally, the entire 25 minute class period had gone by and the student never showed up.
While I was bummed, this was a blessing in disguise. My kids were still sleeping. The sun was still down. The house was silent. I used this 25 minutes of (very rare) alone, quiet time to calm my nerves with some breathing and social media scrolling. I was also able to finally take some (now lukewarm) sips of coffee. And, maybe the best part, I still got paid!
When it came time to start my second class, my excitement outweighed the nerves. I felt at ease and ready. I couldn’t wait to meet Aimee. She appeared in our online classroom right on time at 5:30 a.m. She greeted me with a huge grin and said, “hi, Teacher!”
I spent the first few minutes of our 25 minute class time getting to know her. I learned that she was 12 years old and her favorite color was blue. She had a little sister named Coco and she liked to play French horn. I stumbled through some of the content as I taught the lesson, but Aimee was gracious and patient.
I was worried that building relationships with students online would be difficult or maybe even impossible, but we connected immediately and I hoped she was having as much fun as I was!
After our class ended, I logged off, but Aimee stayed online for a minute. She could no longer see or hear me, but I could still hear her.
That’s when I heard her say, “I really like this teacher!”
My cheeks perked up with a huge smile and my heart filled with joy. Hearing her say that meant so much to me! I’m pretty sure I even talked about it on my Instagram stories that day. That’s when I realized that making an impact in students’ lives is 100 percent possible, even from a virtual classroom. Now, almost a year later, I still teach Aimee three times each week and each class is more fun than the last!
BIG CHANGES TO BIG PLANS
When I earned my Elementary Education degree back in May 2016, I was beyond excited to start my career as a 5th grade teacher. From day one, I poured my heart and soul into forming deep relationships with my students. My goal was to provide a fun and safe environment for each child while educating them to the best of my ability. I loved incorporating movement into my lessons, cracking jokes with the kiddos, and interacting and collaborating with my colleagues. Teaching is most definitely an exhausting job, but I loved it, and to be honest, I was damn good at it.
During my second year of teaching I became pregnant with my daughter, Ella. Returning to my classroom after Ella was born was extremely bittersweet for me. On one hand, it was so refreshing to leave my house and reunite with my students and fellow teachers again. On the other hand, it was gut-wrenching to leave my daughter behind each morning knowing I might miss out on the first time she giggled or successfully rolled over. (Isn’t it funny how excited we get about every little thing babies do? I wish I still got applause and praise for giggling or rolling over!)
At the end of my second year of teaching 5th grade in May 2018, my husband and I decided that it would be best for our family if I left my job as a classroom teacher to stay home with our daughter full time. It was an adjustment, but it felt right. We left our home in Denver and moved to the Kansas City area of Missouri to be closer to family and enjoy a more affordable cost of living.
Flash forward to July 2019, we welcomed our son, Maxton, into the world. My husband was out in the workforce for 50-60 hours each week and I was still at home with our two kiddos under the age of two every day. (And I thought teaching was an exhausting job? Ha!) I always felt very blessed for the opportunity to be home with my kids, but between the constant dirty diapers, lack of sleep, breastfeeding and pumping, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on repeat, my patience was low, and my irritability was high.
I was starting to miss leaving my house every day to go to a job where I excelled and felt confident. I missed creating bonds with students and making an impact on my community. I missed contributing financially to my family. I missed having something that was “for me.”
After some extensive research and budgeting, we discovered that if I went back to teaching full-time, our family would reap hardly any financial benefit. It is expensive to purchase the books, supplies, decorations, etc. needed to start up a brand-new classroom. For instance, I spent upwards of $500 when I put together my first classroom and did not have the means to do that again.
With the cost of daycare being so high, it was just not a financially responsible decision for me to return to work just yet. My stomach was in knots and I kept my head down to hide the tears in my eyes from my husband. I longed for an outlet that would help me find a sense of purpose and pride outside of motherhood, but if teaching wasn’t in the cards, what other options did I have?
ADOPTING ONLINE EDUCATION MAKES SENSE
That’s when I discovered the opportunity of online teaching. I was scrolling facebook one day when I saw a post by my friend Katelyn. She explained that she had been teaching online for a few months and loved it. I don’t think I have ever slid into someone’s DMs faster! She told me all about the company she worked for and what her experience teaching online had been like so far. I sent in my application later that day.
In December 2019, I accepted a job as an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teacher for a company based in China. I was hired on as an independent contractor, which means I get to determine my own schedule and work as little or as much as my heart desires.
The freedom of creating my own schedule was a huge win for me as a busy, stay-at-home mom.
When I was a brick and mortar teacher, my least favorite part of the job was creating lesson plans and submitting them to my boss each week. Needless to say, I was thrilled to learn that this online teaching company provides all of the lesson plans for each English class I teach. All I need to do is review the content before class, show up, and deliver the content. The flexibility and simplicity of this teaching job were just what I needed.
As an online ESOL teacher, I teach English to students who live in China and occasionally other countries. (Currently, I have one student who lives in Hong Kong!) Because my students live across the world, my work hours are based on Beijing time. This means, if a parent wants their child to take my class at 6 p.m. BJT, then I will be at my computer at 5 a.m. CST with a smile on my face ready to present a fun, engaging 25-minute English lesson.
English classes, specifically grammar lessons, were always my favorite classes in school. I have so much fun teaching subject/verb agreement, punctuation, literacy, and everything else in between.
When a student struggles with all of the crazy rules of the English language, I always reassure them that English is, indeed, a crazy language, and they’re doing a great job. I have never been a morning person, so the early hours of the job were daunting to me. It was an adjustment, but I have certainly adapted. Plus, it is super nice to wake up and start my day doing “my thing” before the kids wake up.
When I first started teaching online, I was worried that this new education style would not provide ways for me to experience the parts of teaching that make me love it so much. Would I be able to build strong relationships with my students through a computer screen? Would the language barrier prevent me from incorporating jokes and laughter into my lessons? Is engagement through movement even possible while teaching remotely?
I can only imagine this is how teachers embarking on remote learning for students in their districts, not even across the world, feel right now too.
RELATIONSHIPS CAN STILL BE BUILT ONLINE
My first couple of lessons were rough. I was nervous and felt awkward, but I think that’s normal when anyone is trying something new for the first time. After a couple of weeks, I found my groove and started having so much fun!
I mastered the pacing required to complete each lesson within the 25 minute time frame. I figured out methods to provide extensions for advanced students and support for students who struggled. I created several fun games to play during class to reward students for their hard work. I even met some of my students’ parents! The more classes I taught, the more confident and comfortable I became.
Now, I have several regular students who I see every single week. I know their favorite colors, their siblings’ names, and what they like to do for fun. They ask me about my children and always compliment my “beautiful blonde hair.” They teach me words in Chinese and we laugh so hard when I pronounce the words wrong 10 times before I get it right. We create hand gestures and movements that correlate with new English vocabulary words. Teaching from a desk in my basement certainly has not taken away the fun from teaching!
LEARNING FROM MY STUDENTS
A month into my online teaching career, Coronavirus hit hard in China. All of a sudden, all of my students were at home 100 percent of the time. My bookings increased and I had never been busier. Chinese citizens were mandated to stay in their homes to quarantine for what ended up being over two months long.
Without fully realizing the severity of this virus yet, my husband and I were shocked that the Chinese government could force their citizens to stay home. (Joke’s on us, right?!) I remember the sad looks on my students’ faces as they told me the news each week that they still were not allowed to leave their homes. They missed their friends, grandparents, teachers, etc.
A few weeks into the lock-down in China, I started to notice more behavior issues in class. Students who usually focus and excel were suddenly beginning to show less interest in learning.
Some students would act lethargic and refuse to participate. They’d lay their heads on their desks and speak softly or not at all.
Other students would come to class with so much energy that they were constantly giggling, shouting, joking, and quite literally jumping off the walls. It was clear that these students were starting to feel the effects of being cooped up in their homes without the security of their normal schedules and routines.
I made it my goal to make their 25-minute class time with me as much of an escape as I could. I wanted them to strengthen their English skills, but more importantly, I wanted them to feel safe, happy, and loved during this confusing time in their lives.
Aside from adding even more encouragement and positivity to each lesson, I tried not to change anything about my teaching during the thick of the pandemic in China. I wanted my classroom to be a constant for my students; the one thing in their lives that they could rely on to stay the same. I wanted to offer as much stability for them as possible.
We still played their favorite games, drew pictures of their favorite animals, and talked about their favorite books. We would still celebrate a perfect assessment score with a dance party and a virtual high-five. If they seemed down or sad, I would tell them how glad I was that they were safe, healthy, and attending my class. I always made sure (and still do) to smile until my cheeks hurt and offer as many affirmations as possible.
When COVID-19 started spreading throughout America, I could not believe that quarantine was the new reality for our country. I was extremely thankful for my fulfilling, remote job that was thriving in the midst of the chaos. I was able to teach more hours and pick up the slack for my family while my husband was required to be home without pay from his job.
Several people reached out to ask me about my online teaching job. I was thrilled to share my experience with people in my life who would now be learning how to successfully navigate something very similar to what I had been doing for the last several months. I watched my friends, fellow parents, and former colleagues start to navigate online teaching and learning. Honestly, my first reaction was “Holy shit, I’m so glad I’m not a classroom teacher anymore.” Because… Whoa.
I knew that American students would be experiencing the same feelings all of my Chinese students had and my heart hurt for them and their parents. I prayed that teachers would remember that their job, first and foremost, is to make their students feel loved and safe in the midst of all of the new, challenging circumstances.
In a way, I had a sneak peek at what dealing with COVID-19 looked like. I could see into the lives and homes of my many students and see and hear how the virus affected their lives. By the time Coronavirus had reached America, I knew what to expect and braced for impact.
I tried to approach the lock-down in America the same way I encouraged my students in China to approach theirs, with positivity and patience.
Advice from an Online Teacher
This chapter of the world’s history is crazy. 2020 has thrown a million curveballs and they just seem to keep coming. When it comes to education (or really anything) during a pandemic, it is so easy to become overwhelmed and anxious. None of us have experienced anything like this before.
Online teaching is new and different. Teachers, students, and parents are all learning together the best ways to make virtual education meaningful, productive, and effective. Experiencing virtual learning at any capacity requires a lot of patience. Learning new skills always takes time. There will be good days and bad days, but we’re all on the same team. Give grace to yourself and others. Embrace the chaos and just do your best.
Most importantly, spread positivity, laughter, and love.
How have you been navigating education lately - whether online or in person with new ways of being? Tell us in the comments.
About the Author
Alyssa is a 26 year old God-fearing momma and wife who lives in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. She enjoys sarcasm, extremely hot showers, and cold craft beer. She is a believer, teacher, learner, and an “always leave the dirty dishes in the sink”er. When she’s not busy momming, she enjoys watching bad TV, reading good books, and working out. Her biggest aspiration in life is to be happy and help others be happy, but she also thinks it’d be pretty cool to get her Master’s Degree in counseling and travel the world.
Alyssa on Instagram | Teacher Alyssa on Instagram
