Online Teaching Versus The Classroom

In light of the recent pandemic, teachers and students worldwide have been forced to adopt online learning. Practically overnight, educators everywhere have had to rethink everything. Teaching kids full time, online from home was a brand new challenge, and we rose to it.

Personally, our department has been using a learning management system, online resources, and online quizzes for some time already, in school. Doing so from home has proven to be entirely different.

It may surprise you that teaching online is harder than teaching at school. It's all the grueling work without the reward of seeing a kid light up when they finally understand something. It requires more planning and preparation than teaching in a classroom does. Working as a teacher online feels like you're on call 24/7. Messages from students and parents flood your notifications at all hours of the day.  Many will say that one must set office hours and stick to them in order to remain sane... but we're teachers! Since when did our workday end at 3pm?

The differences between online teaching and a traditional classroom are plenty. The connection you get with students in person is very difficult to replicate over a Zoom meeting. We as teachers are accustomed to having personal interactions with our students, as are they. This interaction creates a bond that's renewed daily and so much of that is lost over the internet. Kids are shy on camera. Also, getting a point across is so much easier in person. Another point is that one on one attention is sorely lacking with the time constraints of online lessons. In the traditional classroom setting, students who need extra help or have late/missing work can easily stay in class during an elective lesson to get that extra explanation or finish work they missed. This is nearly impossible with online learning. Some students, even with constant reminders, and nagging messages, will still fall behind on their work.

 Furthermore, with digital school, teachers have no way of knowing for sure if the child is doing their work for themselves. It could be a parent or an older sibling doing the assignments. This completely defeats the purpose of giving assignments and there's really no way to prove it besides the fact that the student who was getting Ds is suddenly making As. Parents are meant to guide their children and ensure that their kids are doing their work daily. They aren't doing them any favors by solving their assignments for them. It also creates a false sense of security that will be met with a huge wake-up call when they are ill-prepared the following year.

Online school is not without benefits, however. I've found that some students who are easily distracted in a classroom setting, thrive when working from home, on their own, where there aren't distractions from classmates. Online schooling has the benefit of allowing students to have a bit of flexibility in their day. While Zoom lessons may be scheduled at certain times, students can do their daily assignments at their own pace. This also teaches kids self-discipline and time management. While most students were already familiar with our LMS and how to navigate it, there were some who rarely logged on and were forced to learn how to use it now. This will be a world of help in the future.

None of us know how long this will last and with the end of the school year in sight, we can breathe a sigh of relief knowing we've neared the finish line. I honestly can't imagine starting a new school year online and being introduced to new students over Zoom. I'm hoping and praying that our corner of the world will be safe enough to return to the classroom again come September. All things considered, this experience has given us perspective. It's taught us to appreciate the little things. Getting a high five from a student in the hall, or staff room commiserations from a colleague over coffee, these are things we won't soon take for granted again.

Are you a teacher working online, or a parent of a student currently learning online? What are your thoughts on the subject? Comment below.