Virtual Learning

After sixteen months of virtual learning, I was so excited to have two in-person classes this school year! When Covid shut down schools in March of 2020 I was teaching Kindergarten through Fifth Grade Special Education. I completed the school year with my students by checking in with parents and doing a few Zoom lessons. Due to Zoom being new and my students also attending their general education classes via Zoom most of my families choose either one or two Zooms a week with me or to receive an email or phone call once or twice a week to check in.

During the Summer of 2020 I taught Kindergarten through Sixth Grade ESY (Extended School Year- "summer school" for special education students) through Zoom. This was such a great experience and helped me expand my Zoom skills. I was able to create interactive PowerPoints and virtual games to play with students to work on sight words, letters, numbers, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. We read books together and even took a few virtual field trips to the San Diego Zoo and the Georgia Aquarium.

The 2020-2021 school year started with everyone teaching virtually. This was my first experience with teaching Special Education Preschool and it was definitely a challenge trying to teach a new age, new ability levels, with new kids and families, and in a new state (I had moved from Minnesota to Arizona) virtually. However, my amazing coworkers made it the best experience possible! To be honest, as crazy as last school year was and how hard it was for most teachers, I can honestly say it was my favorite year of teaching! I felt so supported by everyone at school and we all worked hard together to service all of our students and to create a virtual learning setting that worked! I remember changing our schedules weekly when we started but after a month, we had a virtual learning schedule that allowed students to participate in Circle Time, practice their Fine Motor Skills and receive their IEP service minutes in a one on one or small group breakout room. I was also able to do breakout rooms for students that allowed them to complete an art and cognitive activity each day. Students were given packets with everything they needed for fine motor (we sent home tweezers and pom poms, playdoh, and buttons with shoe string to lace), for the art and cognitive activities for the theme each month.

As the 2020-2021 school year progressed, we started having in-person classes. Eventually the other three Special Education Preschool Teachers had two in-person classes and I had one in-person and all of the virtual students in my second class. When I had both in-person and virtual I had both sets of students complete the same fine motor activity, the same art activity, and the same cognitive activity. To do this my paras and I spent many hours making packets to make sure our students at home virtually had all the materials they would need for the monthly theme. Although virtual wasn't always the easiest for students, we had a great system down and many were able to still increase their skills and meet their IEP goals while learning virtually!

We got to start the 2021-2022 school year fully in-person! It was so fun to see the virtual students I had last year in-person and to see how much the students I had last year grew over the summer. I also got to meet some new students! Unfortunately, we are now quarantined and spent the last two days online. We will continue online to keep everyone safe and healthy! To be honest, Covid is scarier this year in schools with it hitting the younger population and it breaks my heart. We are making the best of it and I wanted to share how I tackled teaching virtually. Here is the schedule I used:

Circle Time/Song Choices 30 minutes

Fine Motor 10 minutes

Art 10 minutes

Cognitive Activity 10 minutes

The other 1.5 hours of the session is broken into 15 minutes one on one sessions for students to work on their individual IEP goals with me

Parents picked up a packet with materials for the art and cognitive activities. They have Playdoh at home but I did send home some lacing materials I found on Teachers Pay Teachers with some string. It was a crazy week but I am so thankful to be healthy and that my school is taking these precautions for my students and I during this hard time! Looks for a post on what activities I used with my students while teaching virtually this week! How is your school handing virtual learning this year?

~Marissa