The uncertainty of the 2020 school year has left many puzzled on what will happen. Students, Teachers, Parents, and other administrators struggled to see the best course of action. It has been difficult for many to cope with the newer format for hybrid/virtual learning. One group of people who have had the most changes are teachers. Teachers usually rely on face to face contact with their students, usually on a daily basis. In this current climate, they have to deal with the changing conditions put forth by administration, while also providing a helpful and engaging education for students. To see a teacher's perspective on this situation, I asked Mr. Spina, a new 9th grade english teacher at Saline High School, to see how he has dealt with the chaos of this school year.
Mr. Spina was the previously 7th and 8th grade english teacher at the middle school for the past seven years and has recently transitioned to a high school teacher. Along with being a high school teacher, he coaches the cross country team, which has also helped him form a relationship with his students. I asked Mr. Spina some questions about the changing conditions of the school and how his first trimester at the high school has been. He felt that this year's transition was easier because he “ knew almos ⅓ of the students along with their names and personalities.” Additionally, he attributes the easier change in part due to the help from the various teachers and administrators throughout the district. However, the different changes have effected the way teachers approach their students and teaching. Because high school and middle school hold very different curriculums and expectations, he believes that it has been different to adjust to. Mr. Spina remarked that, “ I knew exactly what they had learned in the past. I knew exactly where to start building on that” about the 7th and 8th graders he had previously taught. In contrast to that, he feels that teaching in high school is a bit more “imperfect” and he doesn’t know, “what they have studied, so there are a lot of occasions where [he] just has to ask them.”
For Mr. Spina, and many of the new teachers at Saline, there was an abnormal transition on account of one thing: Covid 19. Covid has caused the newer teachers to be immediately immersed into the high school curriculum and left little to no adjustment period. In particular, Mr. Spina believes that Covid 19 has made “everything more difficult to do,” and “the constant buzz of tech issues that need solving or work arounds” creates a massive strain on attention. This is made worse by the fact that many of his students over zoom do not turn on their cameras nor their mics. At some moments it feels like he is “talking into the abyss” and the lack of communication makes it difficult to know whether they retain information or not. While building relationships with students may be more complicated over zoom, Mr. Spina feels that it is a “fun challenge” and that it has “forced everyone to think carefully about what is and what is not really important to school and teaching.” This is a common issue that many teachers struggle with during this virtual period. Students struggle to reach out and connect with teachers without face to face contact.
Still, with everything that has been happening in the world, Mr. Spina chooses to remain positive about what's to come. He looks forward to the future to what's to come in the new education system in spring. He also sees this as a time to do some “spring-cleaning,” throwing out some old objects that may have lost their use.
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