This year has presented challenges for everyone, but perhaps the most unique experience that has come from the hybrid schedule has been teachers teaching remotely. For various reasons this year, a few teachers have chosen to remain at home while students are in-person.
Teachers and students remote and in-person alike will zoom in to the class, with an in- person adult to help facilitate, and teachers will often coordinate with these adults to make class go as smoothly as possible.
Anil Chandiramani has taught remotely this semester after not teaching first semester. He sees teaching remotely “as the safest option.” But “is torn, I really want to be there with [students] but they have been really understanding of the class” Bill Colburn taught remotely the first semester before going to in-person second semester, and despite feeling “cynicism towards computers in general.” he has found success teaching remotely.
The situation may not be ideal, but these teachers have tried to make the most of it.
Colburn has an “earpiece that allows me to move around my studio at home.” Chandiramani says that “One of the principles of my pedagogy is to have a student centered classroom, and I have been able to do that through zoom rooms, but one of the challenges is not being able to be there to help students get back on track and see what they’re up to.”
Despite the negatives, there have been some new opportunities. Chandiramani is able to “bring people back together with some music because I am on my computer and have music at the tip of my finger.” Colburn has started to hook up his phone to an arm to clearly show something he is demonstrating “that is aiming down at my workspace…and it is actually easier to show what I want to show so I think I will continue to use this setup…rather than 15 kids looking over my shoulder, for me it was a big breakthrough.”
Reflecting on the situation, Chandiramani adds “I am grateful to be teaching and working with students again…one of the things that makes Blake unique is the really cool curricula, one of the things with teaching remote is that the curricula is still there.”
