The Virtual Classroom During COVID-19: 8 Takeaways from High School Teachers

I am studying to earn my doctorate of education and love learning new things. Now is better than never to start sharing my experiences and interests with the world! With COVID-19 taking its toll on our nation's health, we find ourselves spending more time indoors.

As we all know, for better or worse, COVID-19 has kept most of us P-12 and post-secondary educators working from home. So I decided—from the perspective of a world language high school teacher working in NJ public schools—to compile a list of some of the things my colleagues and I have learned thus far in the virtual classroom.

I invite you to share! There are countless stories. All across the United States, 46 states have statewide school closures; and in the remaining four states where school closings have been a local decision—California, Maine, Missouri and Nebraska—the majority of schools are closed at least through the first half of April 2020.

8 High School Teacher Takeaways

1. Less is more. Don't throw away your PowerPoints, Slides and other mini-lessons though! Presenting them in live chats may become a waste of time if you're not there in person to engage your kids. Think of what works in the physical classroom: using body language, circulating, reading the room, etc. Now subtract that from the chat and what you are left with is just your voice, perhaps some props, and the screen-sharing options. Unless, in your second job, you happen to be a radio broadcaster whose voice grabs attention, your commentary doesn't add much. Let your students read the slides and answer your brilliant questions! If the visuals and other content are solid, they'll still gain something from the lesson. Plus, try asking them how many online presentations they sit through a day. Guaranteed groans.
2. Use games. I may be a bit biased as a mid-career world language teacher, but games games games! There are just so many! And who hates games?! Even teachers who don't do "fun" have played trivia, crosswords, solitaire and sudoko on their phones, for instance. Also, we all know the games we use in our classrooms, and in all likelihood, at least two or more of our ludic mainstays are digital. Needless to say, there is a mountain of research supporting the use of games for learning—some of which are ongoing games that can be downloaded as mobile apps to promote extended, immersive and personalized learning. These are not only immersive, but also tend to be more interactive than even a digital worksheet.
3. Ask your students how they're doing when you take attendance. This may sound obvious, but in our daily grind we may not always remember or take the time. It doesn't have to be everyday. But I am absolutely a huge fan of the simple power of checking in. In foreign language teaching, asking this question, for example in Italian, Ciao! Come stai? Come va? is a simple way to connect with both your students and the content in a communicative, purposeful manner. And we know how important it is to show just how much you care!
4. Take risks. Don't be afraid to experiment! Seize the day! Everyone has said it already, but it bears repeating: for most, this is uncharted territory. By and large, virtual instruction is foreign to the traditional brick-and-mortar teacher. Sooner or later (and I know, most of us can't wait!), we will all be back in our classrooms when it is deemed safe to return to school. Imagine a day when online learning will become the norm. Maybe this evokes a feeling of dread. Nevertheless, picture a great day of online teaching—most likely, it was a day in which you and your students gained some useful skills or learned how to do something completely new as a result of virtual learning. And it's a chance to let your students teach you and to shine. 
5. Rethink participation. For that matter, rethink attendance. Granted, most of us do not dictate our school's attendance policy. That being said, what if attendance were measured by participation as a form of engagement with the content? Minnesota Virtual High School, for example, was one of the first schools in the country to craft an attendance policy based upon course completion by day (e.g., 5% of coursework completed daily per semester). In the traditional classroom, attendance is literally a body in a chair in a desk. Even when students are mentally absent. I understand that for any number of secondary school teachers, attendance taken in online chats has become the new normal. However, give students the time to self-direct their learning, and if they need to leave the chat to finish their work, by all means! We still have multiple means of accountability. The key is sustained engagement.
6. Connect or reconnect with your colleagues. If we put kids first—and the vast majority of us got into education because we care about kids—then it is incumbent upon us to collaborate with our fellow educators. I am blown away by the number of suggestions, research, information, news, stories, emotions, support, jokes, memes, and friendly banter that we have shared as fellow teachers over these last two weeks through group texting and live chats. Be the first to get a chat or discussion going. Hopefully, if you appreciate your colleagues, most will appreciate you back. As a result of the sustained collaboration, you'll be better, and those you interact with, including your students, will be better for it too.
7. Be flexible. When I asked my co-educators for ideas via text, this was at the top of the list. They readily shared and told me about being creative, taking advantage of being at home, bringing a pet to class day, dressing up (or down) day, making pancakes in Latin, connecting with students, understanding stress as many families now have a full house, keeping maleable routines as 4-5 people in a household may be on the WiFi at once, and embracing the opportunity to conduct online research while encouraging your students to do the same.
8. Take care of yourself. As educators keeping the schools running, we're heroes, digital warriors, for many of our kids and colleagues who actually miss us! Take "you" time. Read a good book. Binge watch a preferred show. Exercise outdoors. Cook a fabulous meal. Order in if you're comfortable supporting your favorite take-out. Try at-home workouts. We know that the better shape we are in, emotionally and physically, the better we are for our kids. So let us count our blessings and pray this will be over soon.