Hamilton Southeastern teachers find ‘a lot going on’ in virtual classrooms
FISHERS, Ind. (WISH) — Instead of being in the classroom, many Hoosier children are learning 100% online for now because of the coronavirus pandemic.
But in one Central Indiana school district, it’s the teachers who have to go back to school.
Wednesday was Day 5 of classes at Hamilton Southeastern High School, but Julie Alano was the only one in her classroom. All of her students are learning virtually due to the pandemic.
“It is really weird, but I’m still able to connect to the students, and it is tricky and it does take a lot of time to get good at managing a virtual classroom,” Alano said.
Watch her for about 15 minutes working on two screens, and you’ll see her whiz between Zoom meetings and virtual breakout groups. She also makes sure her students communicate with each other on their work.
“There’s a lot going on. You’ve got the students students on a screen, you’ve got what you’re trying to present, you’re trying to take attendance, you’re trying to ‘Oh. a student can’t get in, because they’re having technical difficulties.’”
On Wednesday, in one of her computer science classes, students brainstormed application ideas to create. Each class Wednesday was 25 minutes long. Alano said, at first, some of the other teachers had to deal with Zoom-bombing.
“The students Zoom-bombing each other’s classes because the students have the link to their classes, and then they’re sharing it with their friends, and then their friend Zoom-bombs. We have pretty much mitigated that issue. We have waiting rooms, so you only admit students in the class.”
Alano is in her 23rd year as a teacher. Since her students aren’t in front of her, are they attentive and doing their work?
“Some of them are really excited to get back to at least communicating with others, and having something more to do because some of them have been home and haven’t had much to do, so they have been really good at keeping up and being on there. My attendance has been perfect today,” Alano said.
At Southeastern Elementary School, Courtney Cohron is teaching third-graders virtually for now. Cohron said her normally quiet, shy students are more engaged and outspoken online.
“Because virtual gives them a platform to be able to share what they’re thinking. Whether that’s just speaking through the screen or whether that’s typing something down,” Cohron said.
The Hamilton Southeastern School Board was to discuss Wednesday night the ways to bring students back to classrooms in person safely. The latest plan before the meeting was to have students possibly come back after Labor Day with a split of virutal and in-class learning.