{"id":330712,"date":"2020-09-30T06:02:50","date_gmt":"2020-09-29T20:02:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=330712"},"modified":"2020-09-30T06:02:50","modified_gmt":"2020-09-29T20:02:50","slug":"teachers-get-real-about-their-new-normal-remote-teaching","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/teachers-get-real-about-their-new-normal-remote-teaching\/","title":{"rendered":"Teachers get real about their new normal: Remote teaching"},"content":{"rendered":"

CNMI teachers and educators found themselves faced by a different challenge this school year\u2014remote teaching while also making sure to sustain student learning. That new normal in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic had many teachers scrambling to teach themselves the ins and out of internet technology and execute effective and creative ways to teach their students online. Weeks after classes started, the process is still not easy, with both teachers and students still getting accustomed to their new classrooms and their new teaching aide called \u201ctechnology.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Dan Wollak<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dan Wollak<\/strong>, a teacher at Marianas High School, appreciates that students have been very understanding of the situation. \u201cTeaching online has been extremely challenging but students have been very understanding and teachers are trying to do the best they can despite the difficult circumstances. Over the month of August, the Public School System Distance Education team taught the rest of PSS teachers how to use the online learning platform Blackboard and my teacher, who happens to be my wife, Ferleen, did an awesome job of thoroughly teaching me the platform and helping me get comfortable with the features,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy first day teaching an online class was the most nervous I have ever been as a teacher.\u201d He described it as a \u201cdifferent feeling\u201d compared to standing in front of a physical class and introducing yourself on the first day. \u201cWith each day I have become more comfortable with it and my students have as well,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Wollak admits that reaching every student virtually has many ups and downs. \u201c\u2026To this day, many of my students don\u2019t want to turn on their cameras or their audio. Sometimes, I will ask a question that they are supposed to respond to and some of my students who are logged on don\u2019t respond at all, which tells me they are online but not paying attention,\u201d he said. \u201cAnother difficulty is the fact that the first couple of weeks we weren\u2019t teaching our subject area but focusing on social and emotional learning. Not only are we trying to get comfortable with online teaching but we are teaching a subject area that is not our primary content.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest challenge is for our students who do not have laptops or tablets or don\u2019t have internet. We were able to check out laptops for students but our supply ran out quickly. \u2026Students without internet are getting paper packets for their curriculum, while they wait on receiving WiFi\u2019s. I worry that learning from a packet isn\u2019t nearly as effective as taking an actual class,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Despite all this, Wollak believes in the power of the community. \u201cWe will get through this but we need everyone\u2019s support to make meaningful learning possible. One way is to donate your old electronics to those in need. Second, open up your homes to your children\u2019s friends without internet and, third, check on your children and make sure they are engaged in their classes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBe supportive of us teachers as we navigate these new waters, trying to make learning as meaningful as possible. I look forward to the day I get to see my students face-to-face again. The last time I taught my students in person was on March 13. I know this because this was also the last time I shaved. I will shave again when we resume face to face instruction,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

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Rhonda Gross<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rhonda Gross<\/strong>, a teacher at San Vicente Elementary School, said she and other teachers are concerned about the welfare of their students under the new system of remote teaching and learning. \u201c\u2026We think about the quality and fidelity of our students\u2019 education, especially the lack of physical interaction in the elementary level, so we try our best to make it effective as possible. We make ourselves always accessible for both parents and students as we have been meeting and preparing bi-weekly remote learning packets for our students,\u201d she said. \u201cThe LP\u2019s were distributed physically and digitally. \u2026During the orientation, teachers welcomed families to the new school year and informed them of what to expect moving forward. We are in constant communication with families via phone or email. This way, our students have continued education,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Gross said her current challenge is reaching parents whose child\u2019s registration is not completed yet. \u201cParents and the community can help by getting in touch with the schools, always check for updates on the Facebook page of their child\u2019s schools and, please, do not hesitate to communicate with your child\u2019s teacher. We thank the parents for taking time out of their busy schedules to get oriented and bringing their child to take their STAR assessments, which is important.<\/p>\n

\u201cParents should know that submitting their child\u2019s learning packets is important and the LP No. 2 is due on Oct. 5,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

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Adam Walsh<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Adam Walsh<\/strong>, a professor at the Northern Marianas College, said that education should never stop despite the pandemic. \u201cTechnology is great as it has done so much for us over the last decade or more in education to prepare our youth for the future and how tech continues to adapt, evolve, and proliferate in many job fields and other opportunities. \u2026Due to technological advancements in video conferencing, Learning Management Systems (like Moodle and Blackboard), and other virtual environment features allow educators to reach students efficiently and effectively. We are lucky to have the infrastructure on such a remote place as the CNMI to conduct online learning for 10,000+ public, private, and college-level student body.\u201d<\/p>\n

He concedes, though, that \u201cjust because we are lucky in this regard doesn\u2019t mean everything is okay or simply fine. We are all not fine.\u201d Walsh said it would be ignorant to think that families on the islands can manage the struggles this pandemic has caused: massive unemployment, lack of resources, inequity, and so much more.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe aren\u2019t alone in this struggle as the U.S. mainland and other areas continue to feel the full force of lockdowns, increased COVID-19 case numbers, hospitalizations, deaths, and the aftermath of having to deal with all of these things on a daily basis.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also forget that learning is as much social as it is intellectual. I am at my best in a classroom, walking around to different groups during a discussion, interacting with the technologies available but, most importantly, being there physically for my students. We can\u2019t replace what it means to be human with a computer screen or smartphone and we shouldn\u2019t. We should, however, understand these limitations and do our best to work together and that is how we get through this dark time. Empathy today will build a better community tomorrow, and tomorrow is all we have,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

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Ajani Burrell<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ajani Burrell<\/strong>, a teacher at the Northern Marianas College, said the primary challenge of teaching remotely is to look for ways to keep students engaged \u201cparticularly when they\u2019re working asynchronously. I suspect this is a challenge for teachers across all levels of education. Given the remote dynamic, it also difficult at times to gauge students\u2019 understanding or solicit feedback from them. Of course, the third challenge is access to the technology that makes remote learning possible, and the space\/environment to allow for productive learning.\u201d<\/p>\n

At a virtual meeting early this month, Dr. Bobby Cruz, Public School System Instructional Technology director said that remote teaching and learning are the only way to go for student\u2019s continued education at this time of the pandemic, particularly since the students\u2019 education, safety, and wellbeing are the priority.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is why the primary method that we will use is remote learning. \u2026Remote learning provides an opportunity for students and teachers to stay connected and engaged while working in different locations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was not an easy shift. \u2026I was actually fearful that it will not take off but the four weeks of training have been positive. \u2026If you personally know our teachers, please commend them. Our classroom teachers have done an extraordinary job of using the \u2018why\u2019 they serve as educational professionals to help them overcome the many hurdles that accompany this shift to remote learning.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CNMI teachers and educators found themselves faced by a different challenge this school year\u2014remote teaching…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":330717,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[16616,19472],"class_list":["post-330712","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-supplement","tag-adam-walsh","tag-ajani-burrell"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330712","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=330712"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330712\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/330717"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=330712"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=330712"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=330712"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}