Prioritizing Student Well-Being During Remote Learning
Prioritizing Student Well-Being During Remote Learning
By Alicia Wein, English Teacher, Guilderland High School, and member of the Capital District Writing Project
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I am teaching 9-12 English remotely, while at times my students are in a hybrid model, and at times they are remote. As we are at the mercy of so many factors out of our hands, it feels particularly pressing to carve out specific space for students to express themselves, and for acknowledging and attending to their voices in the classroom. Because we are continually resituating, frequent check-ins with students seem more important than ever; however, they must also be strategic and formalized in a way I have not relied on in the past, when casual in-person conversations before and after class, sitting in on small group conversations, or merely reading body language would give me quite a bit of information about student mental health and emotional state. What has previously been pivotal, but through habit has come to feel natural and easy, takes more strategy and effort in the current context.
I have started using Google forms for this purpose, and whether they are an extension of the day’s assignment, or include opportunity for creative writing, I start each one with a question about well-being. Sometimes I keep it simple: “Your well-being is my priority today. How are you?” Sometimes it’s more complex: “What is something you have done today that makes you feel a little better or breathe a little deeper?” Or sometimes, humorous: “What would help you most today? Conference time with me? Small group drafting time? Uninterrupted writing time? A million dollars and a latte? Disclaimer: there may be logistical limits to some of the above options.” Sometimes the questions are ALL about well-being; they seem “non-academic,” but they are the underpinnings of all of our academic work together.
Next, I am sure to be responsive to the information I gather. While students are reading or writing, I dash off email replies to students who have said they are struggling or overwhelmed, offering encouragement or extensions, or suggestions for how to focus and pare down the work ahead. I refer to one or two responses when addressing the large group. Or, I send texts, postcards, or even make follow up phone calls. Students have told me this makes it easier for them to express their uncertainty, or to vent, or even to laugh at a silly joke with me. Often, they even remember to ask how I am in return!
I also include questions about their academics, and make sure to respond to this information, as well. For example, earlier this semester, multiple students expressed dismay at so much time in front of the computer, and expressed that assignments across the disciplines were starting to feel repetitive, and lack creativity. It was one of the last brilliantly sunny days before the grey of December hit, so I sent them outside on a scavenger hunt for the last few minutes of class. The next day, I encouraged them to create an image based on our shared novel, The Memory of Things, historical fiction about September 11, 2001, using the objects they had collected.
The images they created were beautiful, unexpected, and deeply moving. On Twitter, I shared them with Gae Polisner, the author of our novel, who re-tweeted them, and followed up by offering to visit our class, a memorable and meaningful experience for these student readers and writers, negotiating the crisis of a pandemic in real time, while reflecting on characters also facing extraordinary challenge. All of this happened because I prioritized asking students some version of three important questions: How are you? What are you noticing? What do you need? And then giving consideration and space to their answers.
The Capital District Writing Project is a vibrant network of K-college educators dedicated to enhancing the teaching of writing in the Capital Region. We are a local site of the National Writing Project (NWP). Located within UAlbany’s School of Education, we offer sustained professional learning opportunities, guided by systematic inquiry into practice, led by teachers, for teachers, in collaboration with university partners. For more information, please contact Dr. Kelly Wissman at kwissman@albany.edu.
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