Teaching online a whole new adventure in the age of COVID-19

After spending ten years delivering her lessons to a classroom full of shiny faces, teaching online through the COVID-19 pandemic is a big change for Jennifer Briere.

She has a grade 4/5 class at Argyle Elementary School but hasn’t seen them since schools were closed. Briere has a week of online teaching under her belt now and she said it seems like it’s going okay.

“We’re not really sure where we’re going, but we’re trying our best, as best as we can.”

Briere said the school division has mandated the teachers focus on reading, writing, and math for the last bit of the school year, but every teacher is doing things differently. Briere explained reading and writing is pretty straightforward, but math can be challenging because some of these are new things for the students.

“So we have to try and find ways, new ways I guess, to get that information to the kids. I have posted YouTube videos, I’ve even made my own videos to try and post on there. They haven’t been amazing, but they work for what I’m trying to teach,” said Briere.

Briere is learning through all of this as well, she said a lot of new technology goes into teaching online.

“I have learned more tech in the last week and a half than I ever have in my life, and I thought I was quite tech-savvy. But there are lots of things that I have had to ask other people how to do or I’ve had to google or YouTube a video on how to make Google Classrooms work because this is the very first time I’ve ever had to use it,” said Briere.

The teachers were going to use the Zoom platform for a few things, but when some security issues came up they switched to Google Classrooms. Briere said she has had to make some instructional videos for kids and parents on how to use some of the platforms.

Briere will post videos and work for the students to do and then she’ll be online from 1 to 2 p.m. each weekday to answer any questions they might have.

Not all of her students have the technology to learn online though. Briere explained that some of her kids are new to Canada and so don’t necessarily have devices or internet access. For them, she’s worked with the English as an Additional Language teacher to put together packages with reading, spelling and math projects for them.

“And then we have to check in every couple weeks to make sure they’re understanding or if they need a little bit more work,” said Briere.

Briere said the students seem to understand the lessons but she admits it can be hard to tell.

“In the classroom, you have that one-on-one and face-to-face contact and I can tell by the students’ body language, maybe how long it takes them to work on the assignment, if they’re understanding or not.”

Briere said she does miss being in the classroom, calling her students a bubbly group.

“I miss their jokes and I miss their stories when they come in during the day. So it’s not just the teaching part, like, I miss the social interaction with the teachers and the students.”

She said the students have told her they miss her energy and how “crazy” she is in class.

Briere isn’t just teaching other people’s kids, she has three of her own to deal with while they’re all isolated at home. Her kids are seven, five, and nearly two years old and she said she is trying to do some homeschooling with them as well, so she can empathize with her students’ parents.

“What parents, especially myself, need to realize is this is not your typical school day, and kids are having a difficult time trying to find that structure and kind of that normalcy of what school is kind of looking like right now,” said Briere.

She said parents should be kind to themselves right now, to just take things day by day.

“It’s not about worksheets, it’s not about drill and practice, it’s just doing enough to keep them busy and keep you sane,” said Briere.