(Photo courtesy of Getty Images) Remote learning rose to prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic that occurred in 2020.

Jessica Shomphe
Connector Contributor

Students in Lowell were fully online from March 2020 until April 2021. This was a trying year for teachers and students alike.

In an interview, Shannon Flahive, a third grade teacher from the Murkland School in Lowell, spoke about the struggles of remote education.

According to Flahive, one of the key parts of effective teaching is the ability to create relationships with students. She said that building relationships with the students was difficult, stating that, “Last year was a bit of a bummer in that way because I’m not sure some kids ever really got around to fully trusting me because some of them never even really met me.”

If young students do not have a strong relationship with their teachers, then they are less likely to pay attention or log on to class when they are at home. From a teacher’s perspective, teacher-student relationships are vital to effective teaching. Teachers need to know what frustrates and motivates their students and this was not possible online.

“Academically, my students did very well, but they definitely missed out on the social piece of school. My cooperating teacher scheduled one-on-one meetings with each student weekly. These meetings allowed us to build relationships with each student…However, my students weren’t able to fully make friends with their peers.” said first grade teacher Ashley Anselmo.

This year, a lack of  vital human interaction has pushed teachers to focus on educating their students on emotional intelligence as well as academics. A big issue with remote learning was a lack of student interaction. This is something that teachers must work hard to correct before behavior issues take over the class.

At the start of the year, Flahive focused on positive self-talk.  She is working hard to motivate her students and improve their self-confidence through positive self-talk. She reports that these practices have improved her classroom environment into a positive one.

“​My first-grade students have had a hard time lining up, raising their hands, sharing with others and following directions.  I believe these behaviors are a result of learning online because they have not been exposed to these social situations.” Anselmo states.

She spent the first month of classes teaching her students how to behave in a classroom setting. This was important because her first graders had never been in a traditional classroom, so they needed to learn about expected behaviors before beginning their studies.

A support system is  important in teaching. Last year everything was new, so Flahive commented on how grateful she was for a team that prioritized communication and collaboration. Sharing experiences and mistakes was a key component to her improvement in online teaching.

Flahive and Anselmo are both looking forward to a return to in-person schooling, Flahive stating “we do our best to keep everyone’s safe here at school and make sure that we’re doing the right things.”