Your Classroom in the Time of COVID - Prepping for an Unusual School Year

I recently had a conversation with an incredible educator who I’m privileged to call “friend.” Susan Densmore-James and I worked together at Rachel Carson Middle School, in Herndon, Virginia, teaching 8th graders. Her classroom was next door to mine; she taught English and I taught social studies, as part of a team – we had the same set of 140ish students.

The advice Susan shared in our discussion was GOLD. Much of what she talks about is so timely, during this unusual season of COVID19, as teacher gear up to start the school year. She drops all kinds of amazing strategies throughout our conversation, so if you’re a teacher – particularly a middle school teacher – make sure you have a pen and paper ready to jot down some notes.

The highlights of Part One of our interview follow.

The right mindset matters.

Use the tools you have – especially the Zoom breakout rooms.

This is especially true with elearning, and with your virtual classroom; teachers will likely have to spend more time at the beginning of the year building community

You can build community as you teach students how to use technology appropriately, and you can bake it into curriculum-related activities.

Ask yourself: What can I do online, in Zoom Rooms, and as a larger group, to build community?

Remember that the more students see the teacher on video, the more connected they will feel. Be vulnerable with them on camera, let them see the real you.

First-Chapter Friday

1. Read aloud to students from a YA book.

2. Model reading strategies, like sharing your thoughts as you read.

Classroom Rules Activity

1. Set up Zoom room for class

2. Read “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” by Robert Fulghum

3. Share a copy with each student.

4. Tell students they will be randomly assigned to Zoom Room small groups, where they need to decide which 1 rule should be the classroom rule for the year. They must make their claim, give evidence and reasoning for the rule they chose, and present their group’s ideas to the whole class at the end of the allotted time.

5. Use the Zoom Room feature to put students in small groups.

6. Monitor the Zoom Rooms.

7. Bring the group back together and discuss what the groups decided.

8. Choose as a large group the one rule for the class.

Again, be willing to be vulnerable on camera – whether live or recorded. Let the parents see who you are.

Set a tone of “Nothing is going to be perfect, and we’re a support team for the students.”

Establish that the “word of the year” is grace.

Get your plan for the year together before school starts. Detail how your classroom will work online.

Clearly articulate your plan to the parents – write it and video it. Put both versions someplace they can access them online and send them the links.

Parents will work with you when they know you’re a person.

Don’t be scared of the camera.

Let go of perfectionism. (70% is perfect, 100% is failure) We learn more from failure than from earning a perfect score.

COVID19 has slowed us down and allowed us to be more reflective – leverage that in your classroom.

Being able to embrace the messiness is going to serve you better than anything else right now.

Be sure to catch the second part of my conversation with Susan as we talk about collegiality and communicating with other educators as you navigate this school year.