Are Students “Logged Out?”

As students start to push back against constant curricular screen time, help them log in to connection and community instead.

“He hasn’t signed in once.”

“He has missed every assignment since March 16th.”

“I emailed home multiple times and sent him an email. I just want to know that he’s ok. I’m more worried about his well-being, not the grades.”

Does this sound all too familiar right now?

Are you the teacher Googling “where has my student gone?”

As we are all “logged in” to remote learning, it is easy to see how many students have rebelled against the anthem of their own generation: staying connected. Prior to distance learning, we were begging students to stay off their phone, get off their computer, stop updating their social platforms on the regular. What we are witnessing now as educators is a culture shock to some extent.

Teens are feeling (and realizing) the angst of too much screen time.

Teens are rallying to the cry of “I want things to go back to normal.” But what is normal nowadays? Better yet, what will the “new normal” look like, especially with school?

But I’m not writing to focus on the “what ifs” of the post-COVID-19 world. I want to talk about the reality of what we always perceived to be true: students need connection, and for many, that came within the confines of our brick and mortar schools.

Students Need Connection

You can’t replace face-to-face relationships and the value within “being present.” Right now, schools are questioning whether or not they have the ability to withstand remote learning as a community. The questions educators and administrators are asking themselves all surface around the same platform: the ability to foster relationships with students.

To any school, teacher, administrator struggling with the reality of “we could be doing better” to log our students back in, I urge you to embrace the humility. It will only be the schools who continue to believe “we do a good job at doing that.” Or “we have great relationships with our community.” You can usually hear it in the way the statement is said whether or not the person actually believes it.

I think we are all finding out the paradigm shift in education is coming. The need for the narrative to change is now! If you aren’t convinced, please hear me out.

If you thought it was easy for a student to get lost inside your building, with hundreds (if not thousands) of students, how lost do you think a student can feel when he or she is all alone?

For many, home is not where the heart is.

For many, home does not have a white picket fence.

For many, home was your school…

Don’t wait for post-COVID-19 education to start talking about putting the social and emotional wellness of your students ahead of curriculum. Start changing the narrative of your brand and show your students they all matter — always in all ways.

Three ideas to have students “Logged In” during Remote Learning:

1. Peer Pals. Have students pair up with a student in their class and check in on each other weekly. Yes, it can include reviewing the week’s assignments, but more to connect on a personal level, to create a safe outlet for your students to go to when they need to.
2. Trust Bus (Show, Don’t Tell). On a weekly basis, walk away from curriculum and steer the minds of your students to discuss their social and emotional well-being. Whether it be “Monday Motivation” quotes and reflections or ice-breaker sharing to get to know one another, SHOW your students they have someone they can trust, don’t just TELL them that.
3. Appy Hour. Being that we are communicating solely through social media, embrace the virtual connections and host a weekly Zoom or Google Meet with your class (same day and time each week) and have theme- think spirit weeks at your school. Watch the students embrace it, take it, and run with the idea. This could be a great way to end each week with your students. Bring it back to elementary school and host a “show and tell” or “talent show.”

Post-COVID Education will wear the term SEL like the digital tattoo it has become for educational podcasts, webinars, chats, and articles (wink wink).

Don’t be late to the party.

Don’t keep convincing yourself that your school “does” SEL.

SHOW the community (and yourself) that you care about others.