Whenever I tell people that I am a middle school teacher, I get many of the same responses. “I could never do what you do”, “You must be so brave working with children all day”, or “How do you keep your sanity”. When I mention I teach at a virtual charter school, I get a few eyebrows raised, maybe some “How does that even work?” or “Why would you want to teach from home?”.
Innovative Teaching Environment
Truth is though, I really love my job. I love the work environment, the students I teach, and what I do. I don’t think I would go back to teaching in a brick and mortar classroom at this point, teaching middle school virtually is the best job I have ever had.
I have been teaching middle school science since I graduated in 2016 from Millersville University. In 2023 I graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in Science Education. I have taught at several schools, but I have been at PA Virtual the longest because I feel it is the environment that I fit best in.
At PA Virtual, I have a professional support network that I have not had anywhere else that I have worked. I have students who are enthusiastic about participating in class and sharing their experiences. I have access the the best educational platforms and tools for the classroom that I teach in.
Innovative Teaching Environment
PAVCS uses several programs to keep our school running and our students engaged, since no single software can do everything a school needs. Every task that a brick and mortar school has to complete is one we have to as well, including contacting families, tracking attendance and grades, analyzing students data and performance, and documenting incidents and disciplinary referrals. All of these programs can be overwhelming to learn at once, which is why PAVCS provides students and families with a comprehensive orientation plan to ensure that everyone knows how to use the tools provided and provides tech support for any issues that may arise. Teachers and orientation leaders are also knowledgeable in these programs and are happy to assist students with any questions that may arise.
PAVCS uses Blackboard as the primary tool for class content, and uses programs like Class.com for the virtual classroom. Virtual tools in the classroom allow students to raise their hand, share presentations, answer polls, draw on the board, work in breakout groups on projects, or work on documents together. One of my favorite tools to use is Nearpod, which is a virtual presentation tool that allows for integrated engagement tools that the teacher can set and control. One slide may be information to take notes from, the next slide asks each student to draw a diagram of a process. The teacher can view all students’ work at once and provide feedback on any one of them. I recommend Nearpod for any classroom, not just virtual classes!
Our school also provides Async classes, which allow for students to complete lessons and assignments during their free time during the day. Many students choose PA Virtual because of the Asynchronous schedule. I have had students who work on farms all day, or who train long hours for professional sports, or who need some extra flexibility due to health reasons. An Asynchronous class still has deadlines and assignments, but no set time to meet with the teacher and class. Lessons are completed at the students own pace and assignments completed individually at any point during the day. Teachers provide feedback on assignments turned in and have office hours that students can attend if they have any questions or need further help on assignments. This flexibility in schedule is exactly what many students and families with special circumstances need to excel in academics. In fact, I thrive so much in an Async environment myself that I intentionally chose a Master’s program that provided an online Async experience. I never set foot in Colorado State University!
PA Virtual knows that the programs are not what makes excellent education, teachers are. Teachers have the flexibility to teach how they do best and react to student feedback to provide the best lessons possible. I have taught at schools before that hand me the lesson plan and tell me not to deviate from it. They were restrictive and didn’t allow me to adjust to students needs. Here at PAVCS, I can create a lesson plan that works best for me and my students. I know my fellow co-teachers are amazing teachers themselves. I often hear students tell me fond stories of Ms. Willit’s fun outfits during her lessons, or Mr. Karney’s funny videos that he shares for his topics. Of course, I take some of the best class activities and advice to use for myself and my classroom too.
One of my favorite science activities is a “Guess Who: Taxonomy Edition” where students have to guess the organism their opponent chose by asking questions such as “does it photosynthesize” or “Does it reproduce by budding?”. Because it is a virtual game board, the organisms pictured can change with each game so students have to know how organisms are classified vs just memorizing the game board!
Impactful Student Connections
One of my favorite features of my classroom is the diversity that comes with having students from all over the state attend. Having a range of students share their experiences provides a positive learning environment for all, including myself. I can tailor some lesson to meet this diversity as well, like when I had a lesson about deer hunting for my rural students. Students can also compare the biodiversity or geological differences of their immediate area compared to other classmates. One of my favorite activities was having students compare which watershed their district belonged in. Some students found that they even shared the same watershed and water sources for their town.
Supportive Community and Professional Growth
PA virtual aims to produce the best online teachers in the state, and they do this with consistent professional development and workshops. We meet on a weekly basis to learn about the most up to date pedagogy and teaching methods that we can apply to our own classrooms. PA Virtual provides opportunities for professional teacher development outside of the organization as well. I was able to attend a virtual programs at Penn State’s Materials Science Lab in 2020 where I learned about what researchers in their lab were doing to create sustainable materials and how I can incorporate some of the information coming from the lab into my own lesson plans. PA Virtual assisted in me finding and paying for grad school to complete my Master’s in Natural Science Education, and all teachers have access to Frontline courses that provide literally hundreds of courses for teachers to take to improve their practice.
Conclusion
So when people ask me why I teach middle school virtually, I can honestly say that I don’t do it because I enjoy the summers off. Even though I could, I don’t tell them I teach virtually because it provides flexible experiences and the best classroom software, or that I get amazing support from teachers and staff, or that I have amazing experiences with my students from all over the state of Pennsylvania. I just tell people that I teach virtually because I love what I do, and I wouldn’t want to teach in any other classroom.
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