Student Connections During Quarantine

If you took every teacher blog, tweet, and Facebook post of the last five years and made a word cloud, the word "relationships" would surely make the top ten.  We all know that to teach our students well, manage our classrooms, and make the difference we want to make, we must get to know our students.  In fact, my school's theme this year is KNOWN.  As you can imagine, the restrictions imposed by quarantine have changed the way we cultivate our relationships with our students.  Yet, it has never been more important than it is now.

Fortunately, we did have three-fourths of a school year before this all started, so we aren't trying to start from zero, but the distance changes how we maintain those relationships.  In my physical classroom, I have kids who rarely speak during class, but we have loads of non-verbal communication with a nod, some eye contact, or a wink.  If I wink at the Google hangout screen, I'm not really winking at one student.  I can't say something quietly to the student closest to me or subtly ask, "are you okay" to a kid who seems a little down.  And, I am fortunate.  I see each of my students at least two to three times per week in a live class session.  Some of you don't have that and are only left with videos posted to an LMS, leaving you with an even bigger challenge. 

Like everything, how you approach connecting with students during this time will depend on your context and what your school or district allows (and, of course, your personal comfort level).  Here are a few ways some teachers I know are maintaining their relationships with their students.

Social Media - I know some schools will not allow teachers to be friends or followers of their students on social media, but if you are not in that position, this is a great way to learn about your kids and interact with them where they are.  Instagram is their platform of choice, but believe it or not, there are still a few on Facebook and Twitter. 

Email - As soon as our one to one program started, email became one of the primary communication tools of our school.  Every student has a school email address and uses it frequently to ask teachers questions about grades and assignments.  What's nice about email, as opposed to social media is that it is longer form, so you can have actual conversations.  Some schools may not allow this because it is private communication, so make sure your school is okay with it first (or make sure you include a parent on the email you send).

Zoom or Google Hangout Clubs - Most teachers have a couple of kids who are always around.  They come to your room to chat at lunch or hang out with you if their mom is running late in the afternoon.  One of my colleagues has a group of six girls and knew they would be in need of talking to her and also talking to each other.  She's held three virtual game nights with them over Google Hangout, and it means the world to them.

Drive-By - We've been seeing these all over the news.  Groups of teachers driving through the students' neighborhoods as a parade.  The way the districts are arranged in some places allow for that, and I have a friend in Oklahoma who got to participate in one.  North Carolina, where I live, is not districted that way.  My school, however, did arrange delivery of yard signs, caps, and gowns for our seniors.  We put them on the porch, rang the doorbell, and stood on the sidewalk.  These were some great moments of connecting with our students and their parents.

Snail Mail - This is my choice.  I've long believed in the power of a handwritten note.  For one thing, I have an unhealthy love of my own handwriting (like, it should be a font) and Sharpie pens.  Also, I believe there is heart and soul in handwriting that doesn't come across in typed information, even in 2020.  I've bought a lot of stamps in the last few weeks, but let's face it, 55 cents is a bargain for the payoff of a student finding a card from their teacher in the mailbox.  I know if I had received something like that from a teacher, I would still have it to this day.   (I have also found walking to the post office to stick these in the slot is a nice reason to get out of the house without violating social distancing guidelines.)  They are not terribly long (3-4 sentences each), so I write between 5 and 10 each day.  That means in a few weeks, I will have written to every student.

What you do is up to you and the context in which you live, but I would encourage you to do something.  It doesn't have to take a lot of time, and it would mean the world to your students.