NORTH FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Over the last several weeks, the school year was turned upside down for teachers and students across our area.
Channel 2′s Tyisha Fernandes learned how stressful it’s been and what teachers are doing to make sure virtual learning is productive.
Every teacher she spoke to had a different take on how they’re handling everything. Teachers and students have been tossed into this new arena of learning, and they’re all learning how to do it better as they go, day by day.
Alpharetta High School teacher Michael Womack has been posting YouTube videos for students, since they were told not to come back to school in mid-March.
At that time, he thought virtual learning would be temporary and school would resume at some point this year.
He had already stepped up his teaching online, to keep kids engaged in the learning process, but now, he also wants to make sure students know that many teachers are struggling with this new normal as well.
“I never got into teaching to teach online, or to give assignments out and just grade them, like what i love about teaching, and what I’ve said for 15 years is you, I love you. I love you,” he said.
Fernandes spoke to Alpharetta High School senior Jazzia Harrell. She said some students have been critical of teachers who don’t seem to have things all planned out yet.
But she understands.
“I think they’re in the same boat as us because we’ve all been thrown into this unexpectedly,” she said.
As Womack continues to find interesting ways to keep students attention, he has a message for them too.
“I mean it now more than I ever have before, be well, do good work, make a difference in the world and don’t forget to be awesome everybody, goodbye everybody, goodbye,” he said.
Students told Fernandes they cried when they saw Womack so hurt in his video to them, and parents were glad to see a teacher care so much.
This browser does not support the video element.