For some students, online learning is the best method
While virtual education has been a new phenomenon for millions of students, and hundreds of thousands of teachers in the last 11 months, those of us who have taught online prior to the pandemic find COVID-inspired criticism of this form of learning to often lack context.
As a teacher at a full-time online public school for the last three years, following eight years in a brick-and-mortar classroom, I know virtual learning can work because it does for the students I teach. But it is hard to stand up an online instruction program overnight without tapping into the expertise of providers who have spent decades developing and delivering technology that enhances online learning.
Let me stipulate what some critics assert: it is true children in online classes run by brick-and-mortar schools have fallen through the cracks, and others are lagging behind. In the Houston area, where I live and teach from my home office, we see failure rates climbing steeply in several districts. This is frustrating, because if done right, virtual learning can capture the curiosity of students and ensure they advance each year prepared for the next grade.
Having previously taught in a traditional classroom setting, the first thing I discovered after moving to the online teaching space is that I could devote more time to teaching. Our school offers plenty of opportunities for students to seek one-onone help from their teachers through virtual office hours. They also participate in small group sessions, where it is easier for certain students who don’t like to speak up and ask for help in a larger classroom to get the help they need. We provide flexible scheduling options for students with unique needs, whether they need special health accommodations, are pursuing an acting or athletic career or have an assortment of needs that traditional schools cannot facilitate.
I hear constantly that, during the pandemic, students learning online at traditional schools feel detached from their peers and are suffering the emotional and mental strain that comes with isolation. Students need to feel connected to one another, and creative online programs address this need, ensuring both educational and social stimulation among students. For example, my school provides time in the schedule for students to socialize and chat online, and in pre-pandemic times, we scheduled regional, in-person field trips for online students to socialize.
As an online teacher trained in delivering content virtually, we remain on alert
for children who are not responding promptly to questions from teachers, and who may not be paying attention. We have real-time checks built into the system to assess daily learning by students and daily participation. For example, we are informed when a student hasn’t logged in for a while or if they haven’t completed assignments. With grade books updated daily, we know who is not doing the work. We don’t have to wait weeks at a time to figure out if a student has fallen behind or to inform their parents.
Teaching online has been a rewarding experience. As lawmakers address virtual education in Texas, my hope is that they will make full-time, online learning available to more students. While not every child flourishes in this unique learning environment, and most students will return to brick-and-mortar classrooms after the pandemic, a percentage of young Texans do well by learning online. Outdated policies — such as restrictions on online programs, and the prohibition on K-2 online learning — should be eliminated so students who benefit from this modality of learning can continue to do so. There are programs created in the last year — through waivers granted by the state — that will go away unless lawmakers modernize their approach to online learning.
Crisis creates opportunities for innovation. The pandemic that forced millions of Texas students online awakened families to new ways to learn. For some students, online learning is the wave of the future. We ought to preserve it as an option for every child, even if most go back to in-person learning. Crumbaugh is a pre-AP world history teacher at the Texas Online Preparatory School created by the Huntsville Independent School District, which enrolls students from across the state in full-time, online education.