There is nothing like a pandemic to turn your world upside down.
As teachers, this “new world order” has highlighted one factor – we may live in the digital world, but we are far from digital citizens. And I am not just referring to the teachers; the learners have demonstrated they are digital natives in name only. This journey has been like searching for a black cat in dark room; especially when there is no cat – everyone is fumbling around, just hoping not to bump into anything.
Overnight many of us went from teachers with years of experience, to once again being first year teachers. We had the content, we had the knowledge and we knew how to engage a class of eager learners, but we had no idea how to make this relevant in a digital space. This has meant learning to embrace the chaos. After hours of preparation we have had to become comfortable exposing our vulnerability as we built up the courage to experiment – only to be left with the last-minute thoughts of “How do I look on camera?” The challenges have at times seemed insurmountable. At the end of each day, we reflect on what has worked and what needs to be improved upon for tomorrow, all the while searching for a way to ease the fears of our learners… from a distance.
Despite all of this, I am so proud of my colleagues. They have stepped up with a renewed excitement, smashing through the barriers and challenging their assumptions about teaching and learning.
I think for many, this has presented an opportunity to rethink what they do and open themselves to a world that can only make them better educators. The skills they have learned will not be lost, and when life returns to normal, they will be different teachers.
By Tamryn Collins, Marketing Manager at Oakridge College.