Editor’s note: This is a re-posted blog article written by Billie Ann Blalock, fourth grade teacher at Drayton Hall Elementary School.
“I am going to stay and work from home today. That will make my job easier,” said NO teacher EVER! However, sitting at Coastal Pediatrics last night at 8pm with a diagnosis of pink eye for my 11 month old, I knew what I had to do; Stay home from work.
Ugh, I hate missing work. 1) I love my job. 2) You never know what kids are actually doing when you’re away… but not in my class TODAY!
When a teacher is absent, you never know:
- What kind of sub you’re going to get.
- If kids are actually understanding the curriculum from some one that is not you.
- What is really getting accomplished in the classroom.
Today in my room students were able to use their iPads, log into Showbie, and access the day’s plans. I didn’t even need to leave plans for a teacher, the students were accountable for their work and learning.
How, you might ask, can a teacher logistically teach from home, communicate, and share work with students? There are different way to accomplish this, but today Showbie saved me. Before students walked through my classroom door, I posted a video explaining why I was out and what students needed to be prepared for the day. Then, I loaded a list of things that had to get accomplished within the day (linked below).
Student LIST for sub
From there students were to load and report what they were doing in the room on Showbie. To check what they were getting done I logged onto my Showbie teacher account and was able to check their work, clear up misconceptions on math concepts, and communicate expectations for the day all from my living room couch.
I knew some students may find some difficulties with the assigned math today because a few struggled with math concepts yesterday. If I found a student that completed a math problem incorrectly, I sent them a message on Showbie and had them check their work. They were able to rework the problem and report back to me.
This continued throughout our school day. Students were able to accomplish much of the work we were supposed to cover today. I was confident that they understood the material. Best of all, they were behaving. Showbie allowed my students and I to work together even though we weren’t even in the same zip code! Hooray to a day of working from afar!
Read the original post here.
