A HEALTH & PE TEACHER IN LOCKDOWN

A typical school day starts the night before, after the kids are put to bed, the dishes are done and a load of washing is put on. This is when I start planning my lessons for the next day. It involves researching and engaging content and ideas, correcting work, responding to emails, emailing students and posting instructions and reminders for my students so they can continue their learning process.

We have a fantastic Health & PE (HPE) domain who are always sharing engaging ideas and resources that we have found. It makes the planning a lot easier and our classes are more consistent across year levels. 

After my kids are dropped off at childcare in the morning and I start my daughter off with her own school work, then it’s time to start my lesson. 

I start the lesson with a greeting as my students enter the Google Meet. I mark the roll and ask my students to turn on their cameras for what feels like the fifth time in five minutes! 

I start by reviewing our last lesson and give my students a chance to share. I then share my screen to show my students the instructions on the Google Meet that I’m sure they’ve seen already and leave it open for questions and clarifications. 

Occasionally, I try to demonstrate a skill in my PE classes but I have to adjust my laptop screen three or four times to get the angle just right. Then I ask my students “Can you see what I am doing?” to which someone invariably responds, “Your screen is freezing or glitching”. Other times I might create a video of a skill showing how I use and adapt resources from around the house. A pair of socks turned out to be quite a useful piece of equipment in a PE lesson! We continue with the lesson and students either disperse or stay on the Meet to complete the activities. 

During the lesson, I email my students who weren’t on the Meet and remind them about the work. Often the students who stay on the Meet haven’t been there from the start, which you can tell when they are unresponsive when you ask them questions. I know the students who are on task because they have already shared or emailed their work. Now I can start giving praise and any feedback. 

We’re never quite sure how long we will be in online learning but we know it's important to remain positive, keep our students motivated, engaged and of course learning, even if it’s totally off topic - whatever we can do to see the importance and relevance of what they are doing.

Some days when I feel unmotivated it can be hard to motivate my students. But as a teacher, this can happen any day at school too; you manage and just keep going, by taking a break, having a drink and getting back to it.

The lessons seem to go so fast online. Before I know it I’m saying “goodbye” to those few, if any, that are still left on the Meet. And I’m moving on to the next class and Google Meet.

One thing that I have really appreciated through all this are the relationships I have developed with my students. Seeing and talking to someone in person, as opposed to a whole group who don’t say a word because they figure it takes too long to unmute and respond. Otherwise they feel it is impersonal and not the right place to say what’s on their mind.

I might complain that my classes are too talkative at school but I would rather hear and see the laughter of my students than another school photo of my students on screen, not saying a word and wondering if they are even there. 

As I write this article, we are waiting to see when another lockdown will end. Fingers crossed hopefully soon so we can all get back to school and enjoy the time that is left of this school year.