How I Survived Teaching Remotely

Okay, this is not easy to write…or think about! Remote teaching was HARD. I graduated from Southern New Hampshire University with my Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education with a Certification in Special Education. I was nervous and excited. I was finally on the market for my dream job. Well, little did I know what was coming my way. I was happy working at my preschool job until I heard about an immediate 5th grade position opening in February at a charter school. 5th grade was way out of my comfort zone and I didn’t even know what a charter school was. Well, I wanted to step out of my safe zone and I applied, had an interview and was instantly offered the job. I accepted it with excitement and nerves! I started 3 days after accepting the position.

This is where it gets messy….I got the job in late February/early March. I had my students in person for 5 days. FIVE DAYS. And then we switched to remote. The students still barely knew me, I barely knew them, barely knew other teachers, didn’t know any of their parents. I was terrified. I gave it my all, and I made it through. Little to no training and a blind road ahead of me. I did it. Not only was I a brand new teacher, I had no idea at all where to even begin with this! Here are some of the things I did that 110% helped me survive.

1. I cried…A LOT. I was so stressed and a mix of emotions. The students were testing me, parents were testing me, I was testing myself. I felt I was doing horrible (my boss reassured me daily I was doing amazing), and I was really hard on myself. Letting out a good cry made me feel better 7/10 times.
2. I asked for help. I needed guidance and I was so scared to ask other teachers who I barely knew but I did, and I was so glad I did. It is okay to admit you need help or are confused and feeling lost. No one is perfect and I really learned that.
3. I tried to be confident. Showing confidence in front of my students helped build stronger relationships because they were able to trust me. Even if I didn’t have it all together, I acted like I did. Students had no clue. They were just happy to be on a Zoom call with their friends.
4. Communication. It is SO important to communicate always, and even more important during times like this. Communication with students, coworkers, administrations, parents, families, my family. There was never a minute I wasn’t in contact with someone whether it be an email, phone call, Zoom call, or text message. I had students messaging me on Google Classroom, parents emailing and calling me, and coworkers texting me. Communication helped so much because everyone was able to express feelings and stay on top of everything that mattered.
5. I worked out. I always keep mental health in mind, as I have major anxiety…like many others. It is easy for me to get swept up in my thoughts and get in a junky mood for a few days. Working out was a way for me to release my anxiety and get in touch with my inner self and thoughts. It was me time. Time when I blocked out the world of teaching and everything else for an hour a day. An hour of pure me time. We all need it.
6. I set boundaries. In the first few weeks, I was checking my email at all hours of the day. I quickly found myself feeling overwhelmed and burnt out. A coworker reassured me I had to set boundaries – stop answering emails from 8:00 PM – 7:30 AM. I found this to be very helpful for myself. I didn’t feel the pressure of having to hurry up and email a parent back before they would get upset. I had to tell myself that it is okay to have some me time and not be available 24/7..Don’t get me wrong, I was available for my students and parents all day and had at least 5 Zoom calls a day.

If there are any other teachers out there I would love to hear your survival techniques and thoughts! Please feel free to steal all of these ideas and mix them into your own teaching. They truly do help.