In 2020 I was thrust into the world of virtual teaching just like many of you, however, I stayed there not only for those short few months to finish out the school year, but the entire next school year. As many of you know I teach kindergarten and when I volunteered to be the one to teach virtually I had no idea what I was getting myself into fully. Sure, I was deemed the most "tech savvy" of my teammates and I knew my way around PowerPoint to create a few things but had no clue how I was going to engage 5 year olds over the computer. It's a huge feat to keep them engaged in a typical classroom setting so I knew I was going to have my work cut out for me.
This is where I truly believe that my mindset started to shift. When I first began teaching online I was met with obstacle after obstacle. I had no real training in how to record and produce asynchronous lessons and I shed more tears that I would like to admit over videos that didn't save or audio that didn’t work. At any point during this I could've given up, and if I'm being completely honest I almost did.
But with each obstacle and set back, I used it as an opportunity to grow and learn. During that year as a virtual teacher I learned more than I have in my years prior combined. Not did I only learn more about technology, that's a given, but I learned more about who I am as a teacher, how to use my voice to advocate for my needs and the needs of my students. I learned how to better differentiate, scaffold and integrate technology and hands on into the curriculum.
That was the hardest year of my teaching career to date, but one of my most memorable. It helped me build up a resistance to failure, because I failed then more times than I can count. It helped me develop skills that I never would have otherwise. It helped me see who I am and who I want to be. Because of this one year, this one experience I am forever changed.
photo: "online teacher" by Media from Wix
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