Computing The Human Factor
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted us all in so many ways. Some will not even be discovered until later in life, but throughout this turmoil we have persevered. Teachers and students had to adapt quickly and try creating an environment that would be conducive to learning. I must admit how weird it felt to be teaching from home with interruptions from my family while enjoying the convenience of not having to drive to work every day. Time slowed down those first few months at home. It was nice.
Then in the fall of 2021, we were faced with dilemmas of how to return to school. The roller coaster ride between what is best for everyone took a toll on everybody involved. There was no right answer and we needed to persevere. Students were divided between virtual and face-toface (F2F). Teachers were teaching to both virtual and F2F at the same time. Some students were quarantined for months while other students didn’t even join our GoToMeetings.
We were so busy trying to find a schedule that will work with everyone, we forgot the most important element — the human factor. I was so busy trying push the “square“curriculum into the “round” schedule that I lost focus of my students. I didn’t even realize until I noticed that students were not working as productively as I wanted them too. One day I felt as though I had lost my students, so I stopped what we were doing and I switched gears to a Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) activity. I must admit I have been inspired by the work of George Couros and during one of Fraser’s professional development on SEL, I found something I could do with my students. I put a picture of Nicolas Cage in many of the roles he had acted and asked which Nicolas Cage are you feeling today? There were 9 different faces of the actor from happy to be focused and even ‘meh’. The responses were raw and personal, which I was so happy to receive. The following week, I found a passage from Rachel Marie Martin called ‘Lessons in 2020’ and I asked the students what resonated with them during the pandemic. Once again, the students were honest and personable with their responses. I even found peace in sharing my thoughts, too.
There was something inspirational for me about having a discussion that had nothing to do with today’s lesson. Then, I realized that my lessons were missing the human factor. Student needed this break, I needed this break, and that was a life lesson that we all learned. Sometimes it is okay to stop what you are doing and redirect yourself.
As the school year progressed, so did my hunt for the next activity. Many of my materials have stemmed from the weekly emails I receive from George Couros and even some from Fraser’s ‘One Minute Monday’ SEL. I would randomly pick days to do one of these activities especially when students were feeling burned out. This was a great way to step back and recharge, even if it was for only 10-20 minutes.
Now as the fall of 2022 approaches, I am very mindful of incorporating these SEL activities. I realized that my content is more relevant when we can connect life lessons into it. I hope that students will enjoy them as much as I will.