With the start of the school year, teachers have been thrown into a new way of learning and teaching. Instead of whiteboards and markers, they are now using websites and learning tools such as Google Classroom, Google Meet, Zoom, Canvas, Padlet, Pear Deck and more. The novelty of these sites can result in issues for the teachers who are now relying on them. Three of these teachers are veterans at Redwood: 10-year English teacher Fiona Allan, 14-year math teacher Aaron Simon and 26-year science teacher Skip Lovelady. When the district decided to have everyone learn and teach from home last March, this was their first time using Zoom and other online learning tools. 

Although all three teachers found online learning challenging, their explanations varied slightly. Simon believed it was harder to teach online since he does not know if the students are actually learning the material. Allan believes that it is easier to get through material. That being said, she also believes online learning makes it harder for the “magic,” such as classmate connections and the sharing of ideas, to happen, which usually occurs in the classroom. Lovelady finds it more difficult to teach online due to technological issues and not being able to see if students are actually learning. Difficulty teaching online has led to the teachers wishing they were back in their classrooms.

The Redwood veterans miss being in the classroom with the students every day and hope to come back to the second semester. For now, the most important takeaway is that both teachers and their students are trying their hardest to make online school easier and more engaging.