Two weeks ago, I planted a few tomato plants, a couple of peppers, and a cucumber. For the first week, I came home each day, filled two pitchers with water from the kitchen sink, and doused my little plants. They lived, but they didn't grow. Then, a few nights ago, it rained. When I came out the next morning, my plants were greener, straighter, and just a little bit taller. Tap water kept them alive, but rainwater made them thrive.
All water is not created equal. Rainwater and tap water are different in a couple of ways. Tap water has been treated with a few chemicals that kill bacteria, an important public health measure that stopped the spread of cholera and other water-borne diseases. The soil in which plants grow is filled with beneficial bacterias, so what makes tap water healthy for us makes it unhealthy for soil. As rainwater falls through the air, oxygen and nitrogen are dissolved into it, making it slightly acidic. The slightly lowered pH unlocks micronutrients, like zinc and magnesium, from the soil. Water delivers more than just water.
In the same way, teachers deliver more than just instruction. Online instruction delivery methods, like Khan Academy and Crash Course, have value in the context of a real course curriculum and can be used to supplement the work of a teacher. But, like tap water, they differ from the real thing. They include monetization features, like ads and comments, that may be fine in small doses but do not ultimately benefit students. They do not include interaction, physical contact, working through confusing topics, guided practice of skills, or care for the student. Alone, they may help a student pass a test, but they will not cause a student to flourish. As much as I love using these resources, I do not believe there are adults out there who are telling their kids how they remember "that one video" in the same way they talk about their teachers.
I'm not a "relationships are everything" teacher, but I do know that they matter. We are designed for human interaction, whether that is with a parent in a home school or a variety of teachers in a school building. The objectives we don't write in our lesson plans are met through private mentoring conversations, a hand on the shoulder, shared laughter, and even working through shared confusion. These moments are the dissolved oxygen that makes the difference between content delivery and teaching.
During a drought, we keep plants alive with tap water, but we are grateful when the rains finally return. This year of virtual instruction has been necessary for the physical health and safety of both students and teachers across America. It has, in a very real way, kept us alive. But we will all be grateful when the real thing returns for everyone. Then, we can grow in new ways and thrive.
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