Teachers/Educators Thread • Page 14

What are some good meme formats that could represent the words "explain", "discuss", and "debate"? As in, just that picture alone with the word "debate" labeled on it, and kids would get it? I'm trying to help out a (slightly) older teacher who's not AS in touch but he wants to use meme pictures to represent those words. I know a lotttt of popular meme formats but am totally drawing a blank when asked to think of some on the spot like this lol

 

Hmm..

"Debate:"

 

How is everybody holding up? We're fully virtual, block scheduling and only 3 classes a semester (electives are now only a quarter). Getting used to the 85 minute classes is a little bit daunting, but allowing breaks in between direct instruction/independent work has been helpful. We're using Zoom, and breakout rooms have been really great. A lot of kids are still not comfortable sharing out in the larger groups, so throwing them in breakout rooms and getting to talk one on one with them a bit has been super helpful.

I definitely miss being in person, and it really sucks that I most likely won't get to see these kids in person. Even with the breakout rooms, there's still a disconnect to form the initial relationship with the kids.

 

Yeah this one might work. I was also thinking the spongebob one with the guy in the mask explaining something to Patrick might work for one of them?

 

Had to take the first of a few pre-license exams today. Passed! Was nervous about math but I guess I somehow managed.

 

First year teaching yooo,
Trying to have fun with it tho it’s all virtual and I can use my own device so I’m using my audio interface and better mic... I’m gonna be adding sound effects pretty soon

 

I want air horns like in a rap song on the radio pew-pew-pew-peeeewwwwww!

 

Yeah that’s exactly what I’m thinking I’ve got an spdsx that I’m gonna load up with like game show sounds haha

 

I do feel like we are competing for their attention against things like TikTok but idk tryin to read the room is hard when it’s a sea of muted mics and cameras turned off

 

What grade are you teaching? I feel like it's surprising that cams are off. My son is in 1st grade and the only time he turns his cam off is if he's eating a snack (per teacher request)

 

We’re requiring the cameras to be on. It’s weird.


I have to say, I couldn’t have asked for a nicer, more agreeable group of kids than I have right now. Super lucky with this crew during online learning

 

I feel like you need cams on to see if anyone is even paying attention to you but when you have kids learning from home..sometimes you don't need to see every detail of their house lol

 

we've got mandatory cams on, as well. it's so different teaching to a wall of black screens vs. their faces, even if they aren't all paying attention. at least you know they're there and hearing you, if not listening. there are obvious potential issues of equity, but we are trying to get a stock school virtual background for all students to use in case they have concerns over welcoming an audience into their home.

 

in other news, we just dismissed a student for his right-wing extremist social media postings, so that's fun.

 

We've asked our staff members who are teaching remote - and the students/parents participating in remote learning - to always have their cameras on. Otherwise, what's to prevent a student from logging on, turning their camera off and going back to sleep/leaving the room, etc? We are requiring attendance for the live remote sessions so it's the only way we can really guarantee attendance.

All our teachers discussed with parents during a meet the teacher orientation before school started that they should be aware of the student/camera placement and to not set up shop in front of doors or potential places where unexpected things may happen (or appear) in the background.

 

I teach highschool science so 10th-12th, I find the older kids have been more likely to turn the cam on but also I don’t require students to have it on as long as they participate in some form

 

I don't know why, but sometimes I think that online learning process is much easier than an actual real one, when you should sit in the classroom, especially if we talk about learning any foreign language. I know it for sure, cause I'm going through some Spanish learning courses on this website called Preply. I like such resources, where you can choose any tutor, you want. And what I also like - that almost all of them are verified teachers.

 

Yeah, I'm lucky enough to be teaching the same curriculum I've done for the past 5 years so this entire virtual experience has been pretty easy. I feel like I'm in the minority with that, though.

 

I'm doing field experience teaching right now and my CT is like completely not tech savvy at all and has been super stressed about distance learning. Fortunately I have been able to help her quite a bit. I kind of geek out on classroom tech

 

Yeah there's a ton of amazing shit that you can use. The tech savvy people at my school are super into PearDeck. I haven't used it yet.

 

My CT didn't even know how to share her screen on a google meet so it's baby steps right now

 

Peardeck is cool, I've been using it quite a bit. I'm having a lot of trouble "engaging" my in-person kids since we can't do group work and they have to do all of their work on their devices.

Also recommend using Padlet for Do Nows/Stop & Jots/discussion questions. Good for holding students accountable

 

Also Google Meet sucks. I need to make the switch to Zoom

 

I had a funny thing happen this morning in my PLC meeting. PRob gonna post this in the teacher thread too.

So if you know anything about social studies teachers, you probably realize they lean more right than the average teacher, and that is certainly true of my department. We've got two guys that are staunch conservatives, well 3 now that the new guy is here.

So we're discussing how our district hasn't formalized the plan to force us back into the buildings yet but there is a rough timeline we were emailed and it sounds like we all have to go back into the buildings on October 28th regardless of when our particular cohort of students comes back. I speak up and say it's stupid to bring us all back into the buildings to potentially expose us without any academic benefit to the students since, you know, we'll still be teaching virtually. The older (read: mid to late 50s maybe?) conservative guy seems to get a little bothered by this and says "Well, no, it IS academically beneficial because the students will see us teaching from our classrooms instead of our living rooms and that will make them take it more seriously." And I was like "ehhh I really don't know if it'll make a difference." And he all of a sudden flips out a little bit and says "Well then, if that's how you feel I agree with Akerman! If you can't do the job then don't do it!" (Ackerman is a school board member here who got in hot water with the community in August because he replied to an email about covid concerns and said teachers should just find another profession if they don't want to return in person)

So, okay. I laughed it off because I don't care to get into it with the guy. Flash forward 30 minutes later, the other staunch conservative guy gets into the meeting after not being there for that exchange. Eventually we circle back around to the same discussion because multiple people in my department have school age kids and they're not sure what they're gonna do because their kids won't be back in school yet but they'll be back in the building teaching and it creates a problem for childcare and etc. The 2nd conservative teacher who came in has school age children and he brought up the same concerns (the first guy is a bit older and his youngest child is a senior at a private school that is full in-person right now), and after he talks about how he's not sure what he'll do with his kids, he says....."I just don't see why I have to be in the building on the 28th if I'm not going to have students here, there's no benefit to it."

The older guy didn't speak up this time, but I could tell by the look on his face how salty he was that his fellow conservative in the department basically said the same thing I had said 30 minutes earlier

I know this is a personal story that no one will really care about but, yeah. I had to share that experience today. I got a decent amount of internal laughs about that when it happened. The End.

 

Monday is the day our upper school brings back all students in person every day.

Meanwhile, our middle school has sixth grade out for two weeks due to a kid who was sent to school with symptoms, was sent home, and tested positive. Our lower school has third grade out last week and this week due to a positive teacher.

we haven’t had anything in the upper school yet, but it’s obv only a matter of time.

On the plus side, we only have one right wing dude in my history department. He told me it will all disappear after the election and I responded with an “I fucking hope so” without breaking stride.