The Quiet Heroism of Virtual Teachers
Watching teachers patiently engaging young kids over Zoom is mesmerizing and inspiring
Anyone who has young kids or who has taught young kids knows the struggle of maintaining their attention, focus, and interest while you try to maintain your patience, energy, and enthusiasm. It’s a balancing act at the best of times and in the best of situations. Now add to that a whole virtual classroom of kids; the unnatural distance of a Zoom window; multiple different setups, tech problems, home noises, and distractions; and all of the clutter and chaos that comes with remote learning. Persevering against these staggering obstacles is, quite simply, an act of heroism, and the mix of talent and endless empathy required to pull it off day after day is nothing short of inspiring.
Recently, videos of teachers engaging young students over Zoom have been circulating on TikTok and Twitter to demonstrate the truth of this.
They are a reminder of the too often unsung work that teachers do, and a testament to the immense amount of patience, love, and care required to do this essential work.
They’re also powerful example for those of us who are too quick to lose our tempers when something goes wrong or someone lets us down.
They’re an inspiration to be more engaged, more energetic, and more kind in the way we relate to other people—especially young people, or people who need our help.
And they’re a testament to the fact that even the hardest problems can be solved if you commit to approaching them with even an ounce of the creativity, dedication, and love that so many teachers bring to their work day in and day out.
In the best of times, it’s a crime that we take teachers for granted. And these are not the best of times, but we’re getting through them thanks in no small part to the quiet heroism of teachers who are rising to the occasion and doing the impossible every day.
