Over the years different individuals have asked me to teach virtually – I’d always say no. By nature, I love the feel of the classroom energy. My students have a whole vibe of their own. I want to see their eyes, read their body language, watch the way they relate to each other and embrace their uniqueness face-to-face. Then 2020 came. We were forced to go virtual. I had to navigate two different platforms and learn the ins and outs in record time. I must say I became very good at it. Today, five years later I am the only full-time staff who still teaches a class in real time virtual [RTV] mode on my campus.
Truthfully, I’ve never met most of my virtual students in person. Sometimes when they come by the school they search me out – we scream, hug and act like kids. Along with all the smart panels/boards, iPads, laptops, educational programs/software and the programs to stay in touch – you can’t function as a teacher and not become tech savvy in some way. We rarely ever use textbooks anymore in my program. Honestly, I miss that. On the other hand, I love the ease of access to information and to each other. One click and I can share files and documents with my class or reach out with a message. In many aspects if you are enamored by technology, executing has become much easier in adult ed. If you ask my K-12 counterparts, our digital natives are much harder to teach and they come with a lot of mental and emotional challenges.
In many ways we needed to change to catch up with the real world. I needed to change if I wanted to be relevant and employable.
“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” [JFK]
Restored Hearts 
Wonderful ♥️
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