Sometimes online school seems painfully distant and impersonal. Other times, like this week, little bright spots of personality shine through.
Online school greatly reduces the number of discipline issues in class. No one can hit each other, and a quiet room is just a mute button away. This is good, because it can be nearly impossible to punish bad behavior or reward good behavior online. I can’t take away someone’s recess for a rude comment, and I can’t give a student a sticker for a right answer. The students seem far away and out of my control.
Thankfully, I used Class Dojo points as a student teacher, and they transfer neatly to the online setting. I can give students points for right behavior or take away points for wrong behavior, and parents can access their child’s points online. Once a week, students can exchange their points for rewards. One of the rewards is to eat lunch with me over Zoom, and I had a student cash in her points for that reward this week. I didn’t realize it would be such a reward for me, too.
During the first week of school, I had to try to learn students’ names and personalities. I had stories or traits to pair with most students, but for this student her defining trait was that her birthday was during the first week of school. I realized I did not know much about her, and I was not sure how lunch would go if she was as quiet then as she was in class.
This student came alive during our shared lunch time. She was too excited to even eat! She introduced me to all three of her hamsters, and she talked a mile a minute for the whole time. Her mother messaged me afterwards to let me know how excited her daughter was and how animated she seemed during our lunch. This student just needed a little individual attention to shine.
I don’t know if every student will cash in their points to eat lunch with me, but at least this student and I were able to make a personal connection. Now I can see her as a vivacious hamster owner instead of just a face on the screen.
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