Chantal Joseph and Brittney Lynch have been virtually teaching for almost a month now, due to the viral pandemic.
With this unexpected change, they have done their best to accommodate students and their parents, by teaching during the late evening and allowing them to use household items to learn.
Mrs. Joseph, first grade teacher for Isaiah Haines Elementary school in Pemberton, NJ, goes live three times a week. At 5pm they log on, and she keeps her lesson plans to 15 minutes.
“I know they need to see my face, and the first day was hard, Mrs. Joseph stated. “But I told them all it was like sitting on the carpet in the classroom. “
Ms. Brittney Lynch, 9th Grade Algebra 1 teacher for Friendship Tech Prep Academy in Southeast DC, understands that her students need something intriguing to stay engaged.
“I ask myself how can I teach my scholars without worksheets? So now I have to really think about how to teach it and make it fun,” she stated.
“I’ve learned to relate the content to the real world. You’ll see in one of the videos where I had my students search their homes for an item that’s related to the topic at hand,” Ms. Lynch continued.
“There were items that they pass by every day not knowing it’s related to math. I try to keep them moving and woke, so I do this thing called earn your seat, where they have to answer a math question to earn a seat in my class. Teaching must go on, only thing changed is the platform.”
Ms. Lynch is live twice a week, Mondays and Wednesdays. She also offers tutoring on Monday and Tuesday from 3:35-4:15.
In addition, she does check-ins with students on the Band app where they share private messages and concerns.
She still has regular office hours on Fridays from 9-11. As always, students are welcomed with opened arms if they need IG or FaceTime tutoring. Even if it is after hours, Ms. Lynch says she still assists her students.
During this time, many of us have had to re-adjust with no warning. With teachers being the backbone of education in this country, it is no surprise they’re going the extra mile with helping their students.
Mrs. Joseph and Ms. Lynch are just two examples of what many educators are doing across the world—giving more of themselves in order to help their students succeed.
For that, they are appreciated.
