MY TYPICAL DAY…

Begins at my kitchen table, where my flatmate is also working. At the moment, I’m using two programmes, Google Classroom and Show My Homework, and it’s been tricky getting to grips with them. My school made the decision not to do video calls for safeguarding reasons. On GoogleClassroom, though, you can see which students are logged on and when they’re working on a specific piece of work, which is handy. I’ve become a tech assistant as much as a teacher. I post work to Google Classroom and the students post their responses, questions and, eventually, completed work. The biggest challenge has been making it clear what’s expected – you realise how much body language and explanation goes into teaching. A lot of the students rely on that, so instead I’ve had to learn how to phrase things in a really clear way everyone can understand.

A big part of my job right now is about sure students are still engaged, which is tough behind a screen. In the morning, I’ll post something on my tutor group’s page, a meditation I’ve found helpful, for example, just to let them know I’m checking in. With lessons, I’ve had to make things interactive and also feel fun, which I would recommend as a strategy if you’re dealing with kids at home, too. It’s about making it feel a little less like work to stop them from getting bored. For example, a recent task for my Year 8 class was writing their own ghost stories or a diary entry. I’ll also post a story and ask them to comment on the different techniques used by the writer. They give me updates on the books they’re reading, too. Feedback is also more important than ever. They need to know when they’ve done something well, that there’s someone behind the screen. We’re reviewing what’s working and what’s not all the time. The other teachers and I also have a WhatsApp group where we keep each other updated and supported.

I stop for lunch at about 1pm. Right now, I’m conscious of food – and not running out of it – more than ever. I had some of the symptoms of coronavirus about two weeks ago, so have been in self isolation for a while. That means no popping out to the shops. A few weeks ago, my flatmate bought a ton of carrots and I have been making my way through them: roasted carrot, grated carrot, sliced carrot, carrot any which way. My final lesson finishes at 3pm, but I stay online doing prep work and marking until around 4.30pm.

Key workers: a day in the life of a virtual English teacher during lockdown