After the end of the first marking period, the challenges of this year are present throughout every classroom at Northern. Ms. Eshleman has experienced the adaptations that have taken place in learning while teaching four different courses in the math department this year. Through a series of questions, Ms. Eshleman reflects on the year thus far and the effects that distanced learning has had on herself and her students, which provides insight into the opinions of the teaching staff regarding the changes that have occurred this year.
How have the events of this year impacted the way you teach?
The events of this year have reminded many, including myself, that happiness is what you make it. I love teaching and have tried to make the best of a not so ideal situation. This year has brought on many challenges, including a switch to online learning; however, I have tried to keep my lessons engaging and worthwhile. I miss seeing my students every day, but I am grateful that we can see each other twice a week.
What are the effects from online learning that you have seen in students?
Overall, my students are doing great with online learning. Online learning has its positives and negatives, but I try to focus on the positives.
Online learning has created an open line of communication. Students have taken advantage of sending me their questions through Schoology and meeting via Teams on Fridays.
Online learning allows for some flexibility. Students can choose when they want to complete asynchronous lessons.
Students are excited to come to school! Students look forward to being in the classroom!
Math is a difficult subject for many students, and online learning makes it more difficult for some as they feel as if they are teaching themselves something they already struggle to understand. How have you combatted this issue?
I encourage students to send me their questions and try to answer them in a timely fashion.
I often help students before and after school, and on Fridays via Teams.
I post videos of myself teaching lessons and try to answer common questions throughout the lesson.
Do you think it is harder to teach students online?
Yes! As a teacher, I gear my lessons based on students’ questions and responses. Teaching online (asynchronously) takes away this interaction piece, so I often don’t know how the lesson was received until I talk with my students in class. Sometimes that can be days after the asynchronous lesson.
What does a “normal” week of teaching look like for you this year?
I arrive to school at 7:00 am every day so that I can meet with students and prepare for the day. Since we are currently running a hybrid schedule, I teach half of my students on Mondays and Wednesdays and the other half on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I have a pretty packed schedule teaching four different courses, Algebra 1 Learning in Context, Honors Algebra II, Honors Precalculus, and AP Calculus AB, periods 1 through 6 and period 8. I take a few minutes to eat my lunch 7th period and use the rest of the time to answer Schoology messages and/or grade student work. During 9th period, I often help students, answer Schoology messages, grade student work, plan for the following week, and/or upload lessons to Schoology. After school, I am available to meet with students and often work with students until 3:30 pm. Some nights I continue to work at school until 5:00 pm or later so that I can stay on top of the workload. I often complete additional work in the evenings. On Fridays, I report to school around 7:00 am to complete some tasks before my office hours and scheduled meetings. I have office hours from 9:00 am until 11:00 am, during which I answer messages and meet with students via Teams. I then meet with a team of math teachers to plan lessons for the upcoming weeks and utilize the rest of the day to prepare lessons and grade student work.
Are you looking forward to a day when school goes back to being relatively normal? What will you be the most glad to return to once things are normal?
Absolutely! I miss interacting with my students on a daily basis.
As all of us know, our technology is not always perfect- what has been your biggest struggle with technology?
I honestly haven’t had any huge issues with technology; however, I think the biggest struggle was finding the time to learn how to use all the technology. Learning how to navigate Schoology, Microsoft Teams, and Video Software, while teaching has been challenging.
We are all pretty tired of talking about the negative things that have happened this year - What has been something positive that you have seen or has happened to you this year?
Life is all about perspective. There are many positives that have come about this year. This year I have…
learned how to use Zoom in order to play Tenzi with my family;
learned a lot about online learning;
witnessed people going above and beyond to help others;
had time to reflect on what really matters in life.
What is your favorite part of teaching?
Interacting with students and seeing the “light bulbs” go off. 😊
What inspired you to become a teacher, and specifically a math teacher?
Oddly enough, I knew that I wanted to be a math teacher in middle school. I had a few phenomenal math teachers who made learning math fun and challenging.
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