Distance Learning: Daily Schedule

I am about to enter my 7th week of distance learning. I remember the first week or two working very long hours; more than I worked as a first year teacher. Now that things have settled in a bit and there is a new normal, my schedule is much more manageable. Although I still feel like I am on a hamster wheel, I am better able to control the speed, and I don't fall off as often!

My official hours are from 8AM - 3PM. If you've been in this career for any length of time, you know that we teachers rarely stick to our contract hours. Nights and weekends are not our own. It can take herculean strength to not check email or grade work outside of contract hours. It was a big enough challenge when I physically drove to my classroom - but now my classroom is my dining room table. 

The instant accessibility to resources, materials, cloud storage, etc... makes it very tempting to do "just one more thing" before shutting down for the night. Plus, with our students experiencing the same situation, they may not be adhering to a morning/daytime schedule. They may be logging in for the first time after my contract hours have ended. So, it's a delicate balance between home and school.

You can read some quick tips to manage your professional and personal responsibilities here: Distance Learning: A Teachable Moment

At this point, this is how a typical day looks for this distance learning teacher:

8:00 AM - Morning Login

To be honest, I might fire up my computer as soon as I brew a cup of coffee; well before 8 am. Once my morning jolt gets flowing, I am ready to go.

I find a "Today in History" factoid that I am going to share with my students during the live morning announcements at 9:00 am. I also find a short video (3-5 minutes) that elaborates on the Event of the Day and I link it into our social section of Google Classroom (The Fourth Grade Forum). I also post a question in the Forum for students to answer or ask them to share an additional fact they have learned about the subject.

I select an event that is related to the curriculum we are working on or something connected to pop culture. I always keep it "light" and try to have fun with this part of the day. 

You can find some great Today in History Factoids here: On This Day 

I prepare all of my materials and add any notes I might need to my list for the announcements. Then, I send a text message to families reminding them about morning announcements at 9.

I also double check that all assignments for the day have been linked properly in Google Classroom.

Getting my charts and announcements list ready!

9:00 AM - Live Morning Announcements

Once my grandfather clock has stopped chiming for the nine o'clock hour - it's show time. I immediately start live morning announcements. I won't say it was easy to start, or that I don't have a bit of nervous energy every time I go live, but it does get easier every day.

After announcements I immediately copy and paste the direct link into our classroom's chat messaging (through a District provided platform) for the students to access the announcements if they missed the live stream.

9:30 AM - Daily Bonus Zoom

For a couple of weeks we have had bonus Zooms. Each day we invite students to click in and learn the 5 Ws of a given topic. Each week has a theme. Last week the theme was the 3 branches of government. The week before, we talked about notable NYS places during the Revolutionary War. This week the topic will be mathematicians.

We have a bit of traffic clicking in during this time of the day. We weren't sure if students would have interest, but after a few weeks, the Bonus Zooms seem to be a hit. So, for now, we will keep them going.

10:30 AM - Social Zoom (M-W-F)

This segment of the day is designated for some social face to face interaction and light conversation. We tell jokes, share stories, and simply have fun. Structuring these meetups is important to avoid awkward silence. Last week we had Show and Tell split between Monday and Wednesday. On Friday we had an 80s-themed Dance Party. This week coming up we are going to have a 20 Questions Guess Who on Monday and Wednesday.

For more ideas about what to do during a virtual meetup click below:
Distance Learning: Virtual Meetup Ideas

80s-themed Zoom Dance Party!

Best. Team. Ever.

11:00 AM - Online Support

After the social Zoom I am online supporting students and families. I am grateful for the platforms we have in place. I love being able to watch my students navigate on their Chromebooks and make sure they are getting into the correct Slide, Doc, or Form.

The students have been great about touching base for the day or asking for help when needed. Because of the unique structure of my team, we each have access to the others' classes and we support one another throughout the day. If a student has a question I can't answer, I simply contact the teacher who assigned the work and we get it sorted out. 

This part of the day is also spent giving students feedback, checking for task completion, and calling families. In reality, we are contacting and supporting families all day every day. But, this is definitely the busiest part of the day for online support.

1:00 PM - Team Meeting

We meet online with our admin once a week to discuss concerns or plans moving forward. The afternoon is also the time when my team and I do our own meeting. We oftentimes troubleshoot upcoming plans or discuss how to improve on what we have been doing thus far. 

2:00 PM - Prep for Tomorrow

I usually spend the last hour of my contract day preparing for the next day. I might print out materials for demonstration during live announcements the next morning (for example: Task Charts for the students or the schedules for Spirit Week and Zoom meetings) or finalize the instructions and links for upcoming assignments. I don't always finish up exactly at 3:00 pm. But, it is a relief when I hear the clock chime!

Nights and Weekends

Things that are not completed during the contract day get pushed to nights and weekends. It is fascinating how the concept of time has shifted during distance learning. I have found a better balance between home and school compared to the first 2 weeks. I have also discovered that as I become more skilled in one aspect of this new normal, it seems there is something beyond I will need to learn and hone.

I am so grateful for my team. I have the best teammates who are there for me at a moment's notice. We have always worked well together (16 years will do that for a team), but under these circumstances our capacity for teamwork and problem-solving has never been more evident. Because of them I am able to stay on the hamster wheel, take a break, and get back on the next day.

When broken down in this format, this daily schedule might not look like much. However, as the saying goes, looks can be deceiving. I have tried to explain to people why distance learning is more tiring or why simple tasks take so much longer. My explanations are severely lacking. I guess it's the same scenario as when we work from the classroom: unless you are doing this job, you have no idea what it is like. It cannot be explained, only experienced.

Keep those hamster wheels turning, folks. We got this.