Teaching remotely can be uniquely rewarding. You get to work with a broader range of students and can structure your teaching style to better address their individual needs. Still, being seen as available and going out of your way to provide students with the attention and resources they need to succeed takes its toll. Want to remain healthy, happy, and high-performing as a remote teacher? Then focus on these core strategies.
Communication Lockdown
Few things make remote teachers as frazzled as having to respond to seven students and parents at all hours while using as many different communication methods. Maintaining your sanity means putting a stop to this and setting boundaries. Being open yet firm will make the transition smoother for everyone.
Start by limiting communications channels. If you’re in K-12, prioritize student communication through your school’s LMS. Meanwhile, communication apps like Slack will do for college students and adult learners.
You'll also want to be available via email, especially for parents. However, make it clear that you'll be answering inquiries during specific times of day without exception.
Batch your responses, preferably in the mornings and at times when you’re not otherwise preoccupied. This is also a great way to avoid scams. Spotting a phisher pretending to be a parent when you’re fresh and alert is much easier than at 10 PM after a stressful day.
If you are busier, then make sure you take extra precautions by using tools that have email protection services. This way, you can catch phishing emails and malware and spot risky emails easier.
Smarter Screen Time
Staring at the screen might be part of the job description, but you can do much to make it less mentally and physically draining.
Start by positioning your screen(s) at a comfortable height and make sure you’re sitting upright in an ergonomic chair with plenty of lumbar support. Avoid dry eyes by blinking consciously every so often. Taking your eyes off the screen for a short while each hour and going on mini-breaks also helps a lot.
Think of reducing students’ screen fatigue, too. Encourage them to get up and exercise with you after long staring sessions. Breaking assignments up into more manageable chunks is another good idea. For example, have your students watch a prerecorded lecture or do reading assignments beforehand. Then, use the live lecture time for discussions and Q&A so they don’t have to look at the screen as intently.
Keep Engagement Up
An engaged class is one you can spend less time and energy policing while teaching more effectively. How large your bag of tricks is depends on your creativity and familiarity with different teaching techniques.
Mix things up by including polls and quizzes to solidify new knowledge. You can combine Zoom’s breakout room feature with the Think-Pair-Share method to have students work on problems together and then present their solutions.
Remote students might feel isolated, so another way of building engagement is to build your class into a community. Celebrate students’ achievements, allow time snippets for individual expression before the real lecture starts, and show genuine interest in students’ lives to foster deeper ties.
Take Care of Yourself
Teaching remotely doesn't make you immune to burnout. If anything, it blurs the lines between work and home life, often resulting in teachers spending more time and effort on students' well-being than their own. Everyone suffers in the end if you don't rein in such impulses on time.
Boundaries apply to you, too, meaning you should create and stick to a schedule of all your teaching activities. Make it a priority to end work at a reasonable time every day and get plenty of sleep for the next.
You’re not a machine, and you deserve to live a fulfilling life outside of teaching. That means making time for hobbies, friends, and family, as well as healthy eating and exercise routines that keep your mind and body sharp.
