A Day in a Life: A Teacher’s Journey through Distance Learning

Without the structure that teachers are used to such as the classroom, black boards or white boards, and students’ happy chatter as background, how are teachers adjusting with their schedule, requirements, and environment in this pandemic? We asked Teacher Lolly Arroco, a Grade School Art teacher and a mom, to walk us through her regular school day in the distance learning setup.

 

“My day begins at 6:00 am. There are days when I squeeze in a light workout. For days that I don’t, I prepare breakfast early for my husband and son. I get ready at around 7:00 am and assist my son for his online class in his study room. At 7:30 am, I do my makeup and hair to look presentable in class.” -Teacher Lolly

 

 

 

“We have the option to work in school or work from home. I chose to work from home so I turned our bedroom into my workspace. I found an old table and turned it to my work desk. I face the windows to get natural lighting but I also have a ring light in front of me for added lighting.” -Teacher Lolly

“I usually have 3 sections per day with 2 hours per section. The first 40 to 60 mins is a Synchronous Class for discussion and skill practice. We do simple art activities together via Zoom.” -Teacher Lolly

“Part of my routine is starting the class with a quick Tech Check. I ask my students if they can hear me clearly, if they can see me, and if they can view my shared screen. I ask them to give me a thumbs up or thumbs down as a response to my questions.”-Teacher Lolly

“After our practice, we have a 5 minute “Brain Break.” My students wash their hands (after doing the art activity), drink water, or go to the restroom. During this time, I also allow them to turn off their cameras so they can rest their eyes.”-Teacher Lolly

“The rest of the class is asynchronous, where I instruct my students to access our Learning Management System (LMS) and watch a video tutorial I made about the artwork for the week. The students follow the instructions in the video, take a photo of their artwork, and pass it online through Google assignments for me to grade. During Asynchronous Classes, I am still online. If ever my students have any questions, they ask me through Zoom or chat.”-Teacher Lolly

“In face to face classes, it’s easier to prepare tangible teaching materials. In online classes, teachers have to be more creative on how to present the lesson to keep the learners interested. Classroom rules are also easier to implement in face-to-face classes since we are all in one place. In online classes, all we teachers see is half of them, so it’s difficult to monitor their activities."-Teacher Lolly

 

“It's hard for me to not overthink things. I believe that every time I face my students I am not just a teacher, but a performer, a technician, a counselor, a clown, a mother and many more! I want my students to learn and also enjoy our time together.”-Teacher Lolly

“As soon as my classes are done, I continue to work. I receive outputs from my students everyday so I check outputs everyday, too. A teacher’s work doesn’t end after saying goodbye to the students. Twenty four-hours isn’t enough to finish all the tasks that teachers carry. Because I still value my time, I tell myself that I should only do work-related tasks until 6:00 pm. After that, I need to give time for myself and my family.”-Teacher Lolly

“I don’t always have a great day but whenever I face the camera and see my students, I smile at them and I always stay positive. I know times are also difficult for the learners. A simple smile, “Good morning” or “How are you?” is very important for them to feel that I care for them and I love them.”-Teacher Lolly

“I am not perfect. There are times when I feel tired and exhausted, too. It is during these times that I would get a message from parents telling me that I did great or that their child loves art classes. These messages motivate me to strive harder and be a better teacher. I make mistakes too, and I know everyone else is doing their best to adapt to this setup. I thank God for giving me wisdom and guidance everyday. No matter how challenging, I still choose to see this as a blessing and I am thankful to still have work during this time of crisis.” -Teacher Lolly

 

We’ve always considered teaching as one of the noblest professions. Teachers have always rendered service above and beyond what is required of them. During this time that the workload is doubled or tripled because of the distance learning setup, teachers push themselves even more to deliver only the quality education our children deserves.

 

From all of us here at Baby and Breakfast, we salute all of you! Happy National Teachers’ Month!

 

 

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