WASHINGTON, Ill. — While the COVID-19 outbreak has pushed students out of classrooms and into remote learning, teachers miss seeing their students.
Dan Zehr, an English teacher at Washington Community High School, said it’s been very tough.
“I teach six classes at the high school level at Washington High School and all six of my classes are seniors. I think it’s hitting me rather profoundly,” Zehr said.
When Governor J.B. Pritzker announced that schools will continue with remote learning for the rest of the semester, Zehr said while he knew it was coming, it was still heartbreaking.
“I love being a teacher, to me it’s the best job in the world. And, knowing that I don’t get to interact with those wonderful students that I have that are seniors, yeah it does break my heart,” Zehr said. “But, I’m just optimistic that somehow this will all work itself out. My gosh, I just can’t wait to see everybody again. I honestly don’t know when that will be.”
Students and teachers at WCHS are using virtual tools such as Google Hangouts to stay in touch the best they can. Zehr said it is still a powerful learning experience.
“The important thing to me is to keep them engaged, keep them focused, and keep them learning, keep them growing. Critical thinking and intellectual honesty are still paramount to everything we want to do,” Zehr said.
If there is a time in history that this turn of events must occur, this is the time, according to Zehr. Remote learning is teaching students to reach out and communicate.
“That allows for us to open doors and opportunities. You have to communicate more directly. You have to be very clear on what you are trying to accomplish or what you want to understand,” Zehr said. “And, you also have to be very proactive in reaching out to people so that you can engage not only from an academic standpoint, but just socially.”
This pandemic can also be a lesson for students to focus on what they can control verses what they can’t.
“It sounds like a cliche, but some of these cliches are actually things that have stuck with us over the years and generations because they’re rooted in something fundamentally important,” Zehr said.
Zehr has a tradition for seniors on their last day.
“One of the things I like to do on the senior’s last day is just to give them some advice and talk about adversity and challenges I’ve faced in my life and how I overcame them. And, what I believe the world has in store for them and how they can be their very, very best,” Zehr said.
He has thought about presenting the advice in a video form this year.
“They’ll still be able to take that and hopefully they’ll ask me questions and we can continue that conversation in some way,” Zehr said.
Teachers at WCHS have used websites such as turnitin.com, Google Hangouts, and ideaillinois.org for teaching remotely. Zehr also has a column on starwars.com called Teaching with Star Wars, incorporating lessons within the world of Star Wars with our world.
