Teachers share perspective, coping skills for classroom stress
Contrary to popular belief, teachers do see student struggles and try to be as accommodating as possible. With the significant drop in grades for many kids and the new learning models, teachers have had to adapt and customize their teaching to help create the best learning experience possible.
Guidance counselor Heidi Wheaton witnessed the difficulty that resulted from a lack of organized periods during virtual learning.
“I think people usually thrive from a routine,” she said. “So when you’re not in a routine and you don’t have to be anywhere at a certain time, your days can turn into your nights, and your schedule gets messed up, and depression can set in very quickly. Not going anywhere, not being able to see your friends. You’re losing connections with people and not having a structure.”
It was much easier to zone out when looking at a screen somewhere comfortable than when in a classroom.
“I also think that the types of lessons we were able to do were different from the ones we’re able to do in the classroom that are more hands-on and interactive because the digital space took that away from us,” Global English teacher Willian Brydon said. “That active learning was replaced with more passive styles just by the nature of the beast. Everybody in the building is trying to keep students interested and engaged and have them do things that are authentic to the real world with their learning, but you’re limited by the tools that are provided for you.”
Lessons had to change to accommodate evolving conditions but, despite that, Brydon still observed growth in his students.
“We had to take the entire paradigm shift we were undergoing into account and make our assessments reflect that and our expectations reflect that,” he said. “In some ways, I saw more learning than a deficit because people had to get creative and had to show their learning in ways they wouldn’t have been comfortable showing before. I do think there was some discomfort that came with that change. In the end, I think there was success, but it may not have always felt like success.”
On the other hand, social studies teacher Andrew Britton has seen a deficit in learning due to COVID-19.
“Students have done pretty well but, because of last year being virtual for a third of the year, I feel like students are a little bit behind in a sense,” he said. “We didn’t really have real school for much of last year. I think that they’re having a more difficult time adjusting to having school every day for a whole year because we didn’t have a normal year last year.”
The extra support given to students might have led to consequences as well as benefits.
“I feel like students have trouble spots that they’re unaware of,” math teacher Doris Bailey said. “I think that because of COVID and the way we were grading and teaching earlier, it was a false sense of success for some students. Now that things are real again, it’s harder.”
Upperclassmen have come to talk with Wheaton about the detrimental effects the pandemic has had on their academic progress.
“As juniors, some of them are worried about being behind in skills due to COVID,” she said. “They’re behind in a subject area or they didn’t do that much at home so they’re behind in subject credits. Those things are now very real coming in as a junior when you left as a freshman. It took a big chunk of people’s lives right at an important time.”
Spanish teacher Rick Webster believes underclassmen have been affected by the lack of getting a normal introduction into high school.
“That’s been a challenge for them. Six months of their middle school was done at home,” he said. “A lot of their social development happens at the end of 7th grade and the beginning of 8th grade. That’s a huge growth time we would watch in our students when I was at the middle school level, and they were robbed of that. So many of them are stunted in their emotional growth.”
It has also been tough for students to cope with the deaths of loved ones.
“People lost people who were important to them, and that’s been difficult for people coming back,” Wheaton said. “It’s hard when you’ve lost people due to COVID or other reasons, and you’re not able to have a normal funeral and that closure. There are a variety of things we’ve never navigated before.”
Throughout the strain of online classes, students have adapted fairly well to the constant switches in models.
“Students handled everything way better than I would’ve when I was in high school,” Brydon said. “I was constantly amazed by students’ flexibility and ingenuity and their ability to show resilience in an ever-changing model. No two days were the same last year and everything continued to get pulled one way or another. There were a lot of proud moments and impressive moments I had last year.”
A highlight of the first few months of school was the first formal dance in over a year, which attracted a large number of students.
“One of the positives is that we had such great engagement during homecoming week,” Principal Erin Kohl said. “I think it really spoke to the fact that students really needed to have that connection to high school and those fun events. We had record numbers at our homecoming dance, over 1,000 kids. It was just fun to see how many of our freshmen and sophomores engaged in that, not knowing what they had missed out on.”
Kohl has seen the benefits of having a schedule similar to pre-COVID-19 times.
“For me personally, I think it’s getting back to a normal routine with W-hour sessions and we had that whole week of an activity fair where we really encouraged students to get involved in something fun, which definitely helps,” she said. “The other thing with W-hours is teachers are calling students in or offering help sessions for students so if students are really struggling, they can go and meet with their teachers during W-hour.”
To help kids who are struggling, Brydon individually works with them to form relationships.
“My first strategy is to let them know I care about them as people and not just as students,” he said. “Beyond having that personal connection I try to forge with everybody, I think teaching them about their own systems in life. Like how do you set up to do work outside of here and while you’re in here? And can that process be maximized and made more efficient so you can find the balance you’re looking for.”
As a counselor, Wheaton has strategies in place for helping students manage busy schedules.
“If they're feeling stressed or anxiety is really up, sometimes it’s just a matter of sitting calm and breathing and getting back to where you need to be,” she said. “Sometimes we’ll talk about the balance of a schedule. We’ll look at second semester and say, ‘You’ve got seven classes. That isn’t going so well this semester, so what do you think about next semester?’ I’ll ask what their work schedule is like and if they can cut back on some hours.”
Webster uses positive enforcement to help his students succeed.
“A lot of times, what students really need more than anything is belief that they can do it,” he said. “Help them believe that they can get caught up and they’re able to become caught up. That becomes a spiral- if you’ve always been successful, and now you’re not successful, you start spiraling down, especially if you’re just transitioning to high school. They think they just can’t do high school, and that’s not the case. They’re capable, they just need some additional guidance along the way to get there.”
By learning from past experiences, Brydon hopes students and staff will be able to better appreciate the luxuries available once again.
“Oddly, I hope we don’t forget what it felt like to be in the pandemic so we have more enhanced gratitude for the ways of school we’re currently experiencing and hopefully the ones that are still yet to come as we’re hopefully able to leave some of these mitigation efforts behind,” he said. “Because if we don’t remember history, we’re doomed to repeat it as some of our history teachers would remind us.”
Kohl encourages students to use resources.
“Use our pupil services team. That includes our counselors, our school social worker, our school psychologist, and all of the principals and deans of students,” she said. “We’re all here to support you. If you’re struggling academically or emotionally with mental health things, please use those resources. We have lots of ways to help and lots of people to help.”
Staff members are impressed with how students have adapted the past year and half and hope that everyone will be able to continue growing and progressing together as the new year approaches.
“Teachers are very proud of students for not just enduring these past two years, but embracing change, challenging themselves to succeed, persevering, becoming more independent, and staying positive,” Bailey said. “These two years have been wonky for sure, and we will all have stories to tell about our journey through them, but stranger things could have happened - be grateful they didn't!”
By Abby Furcy
Oshkosh West Index Volume 118 Issue III
November 29th, 2021