Welcome to teaching in 2020.

The photo above is my new classroom, which is a corner of my bedroom, where I spent 6 hours a day, 5 days a week. In this little corner, I sat at my desk and created lessons for my students to do on their own or I talked to them individually via Zoom. Because I work with severely disabled students, I needed to spend a lot of time remotely training their caregivers too. Some of the caregivers are parents who were suddenly providing around the clock care to their medically fragile children during a pandemic while trying to work remotely. Many of the parents had other children who needed their help with school work.

Welcome to parenting in 2020.

Making Videos for Parents

I began recording videos for parents and caregivers that explained how to educate a student who is visually impaired. It is the same information the aids and teachers get from me at school, but I needed to make it even more succinct for families. The aids at school get direct training over several months, but parents needed that training immediately. Some things they needed to know were:

• How do you present materials so the student can actually see what you’re showing them?
• How do you explain what is causing a particular sound when the student can’t see what it is?
• How do you talk about what is happening in a picture or video that makes sense to a student who can’t see the details of the image?
• What is Orientation and Mobility? How do you practice it at home?
• How do you work on a student’s IEP goal at home?

First, I tried to think of what would have the most immediate impact on a parent’s ability to teach their child. My first video was about using descriptive language and how parents could talk about riding a bus while keeping in mind what the student is experiencing (sounds, texture, movement…). But then I realized no one was going to be taking a bus to school any time soon, so my next video lesson was about using descriptive language while cooking a meal. That one seemed to work, so I tried modeling the rest of my videos with home based learning as the focus.

I also tried to think of how to explain general concepts about vision impairment (glare, fixation, lighting, tracking, scanning… etc). Many of my students have Cortical Visual Impairment, so I’m currently working on videos to explain what that is and how to work with a student who appears to see but isn’t understanding what they are seeing.

My You Tube Channel

I shared a few videos with some friends who also have kids with disabilities but don’t attend my school. Those families have asked for more. So now I have a You Tube Channel. You Tube helped me figure out how to access Google Classroom and create content and use Drop Box and Zoom and Padlet and Flip Grid, which are all the platforms I’ve used to make teaching easier for me and easier for families. I hope that my videos will also be helpful.

What will teaching be like in the Fall?

My school is currently on summer break. Schools across my State are making plans to reopen in the Fall. Will it be home based learning again, or will students return to their classroom? Will it be a blend, with some students on campus and others at home? My students are medically fragile so many will choose to stay home, but some may want to see their friends and teachers again. Can we keep them safe? How? And how will teachers stay safe when schools reopen?

I can’t fix education during a pandemic, but if my videos can help a few parents figure out how to support their visually impaired children while they shelter-in-place, then I’ve done part of my job as a teacher. Now, does anyone know how to integrate a Vision Goal into doing the dishes?