PPTC Teachers In The Time Of Coronavirus: Diana Richardson
Diana, teaching remotely.
It has been a few weeks since New York City public schools ceased in-person classes. However, remote teaching and learning is an ever-evolving challenge for teachers and parents.
This is the second of an eight-part post series that shares some insight into what some of PPTC’s teachers and parents are going through. Today’s interview is with Diana Richardson.
Diana has been a member of PPTC since January 2018. Before the pandemic last year, Diana did some traveling that took her to the British Virgin Islands, Galway, Edinburgh, and London. Even though Diana took a break from running while recovering from ankle surgery, she was getting ready to return to racing before life in New York City went on pause.
Where do you teach and what grades/subjects do you teach?
I am a learning specialist at the Berkeley Carroll School, and I work with students in PreK-3 through 2nd grade. I teach small reading groups, and provide support for students in and out of the classroom across all subjects. I also work closely with parents, and provide recommendations to support their children’s learning needs. I’m also a speech-language pathologist, and meet with students for speech and language therapy privately after school.
What has it been like transitioning to remote teaching? Describe a typical workday.
It has certainly been a huge adjustment! I remember when we started making plans for remote teaching before our spring break in early March, and I really didn’t think we’d need those plans. Now I’m glad we have them!
I’ve been able to wake up later than normal during remote teaching, which is one of the only positives [about it]. I usually start planning for the day around 7:30am, which includes creating reading group lessons, emailing with parents and teachers, and brainstorming other ways to connect with students. Then I attend a classroom morning meeting around 9 or 9:30am, where I see 20 faces on a screen and two classroom teachers. We say hi to each other, and do a little activity.
After that, I have reading groups until noon. These are also on Zoom, but with smaller groups of kids (between four and eight). I can share a book we are reading via Screenshare, so it’s been working out well. On the first day, though, I didn’t realize the kids could draw on our shared screen, so there was a ton of “Whoever is scribbling, please stop!” Luckily, I figured out how to turn off that feature!
I usually work out and shower midday, then have meetings with teachers and administration between 1 and 4pm. It varies by day. Yesterday I had no meetings in the afternoon. Today, I have them from 2 to 5pm. I also see a few students for speech and language therapy around 4pm on Zoom; those one-on-one sessions have been going surprisingly well.
How are your students handling remote learning? Has there been a drop in attendance?
Our students are really lucky, as our school sent iPads home with anyone who didn’t have one before we closed school. So far, all of my students have shown up. We have several students who are in different time zones (like Dubai and Paris), so they haven’t been able to attend all the meetings. The teachers have accommodated their schedules, though, and see them early in the morning for one-on-one sessions.
What has pleasantly surprised you about remote teaching?
It is incredible how well the students have adapted to this crazy way of learning. I have the ability to mute students while they’re speaking, but all of them were so respectful of each other that I didn’t need to “mute” anyone. They are also really patient when teachers are figuring out technology in real-time! I got teary-eyed the first time I saw all the faces in my reading group on the screen.
What is your biggest complaint about remote teaching?
Everything takes so much longer using video. A lesson that would take 15 minutes in school takes 2 to 3 times as long on video because of juggling all the features, seeing the kids and presenting a lesson, as well as muting/un-muting. It’s also really hard to help them with writing, [especially] if they are not at a typing stage yet.
“ I have a newfound love and appreciation for teaching, and I think that will be even more magnified when we are back in the classroom. Seeing [my students] on the screen brightens my day, and I’m really so excited to see them in person in whatever capacity we’re able to in the future.”
What can parents do to make it easier for you to remotely teach their children?
Setting up a “learning area” is really helpful. It is much easier for me to interact with kids who are sitting in a chair at a table, rather than rolling around in bed!
I also want parents to know that everyone is doing the best they can. If a student can’t attend a class because their parent has a video meeting and it’s affecting the Wi-Fi, it’s OK! We record all of our lessons so the students can see everything later. I know homeschooling must be super stressful for parents. I want my lessons to be helpful, not something that adds stress.
Do you plan to change how you teach your students once you are back in the classroom, based on what you’ve experienced teaching remotely?
I am so incredibly thankful for my career during this time of uncertainty. I have a newfound love and appreciation for teaching, and I think that will be even more magnified when we are back in the classroom. Seeing [my students] on the screen brightens my day, and I’m really so excited to see them in person in whatever capacity we’re able to in the future.
Have you been running? How has your running changed since we’ve been in “lockdown”?
I’ve made it a goal to do these three things every day during quarantine: Exercise, go outside, and meditate for 10 minutes. Sometimes that includes a run, which I’m grateful to be able to do after having ankle surgery last November. I was following the training plan for the Brooklyn Half, but quickly abandoned that plan when realizing this is not a time (for me) to aim for long distances, especially since my route is often disrupted when trying to avoid groups of people.
I run for mental clarity, and find it freeing to not care about pace or distance at the moment. I live near the bike path that goes into Red Hook, and that’s been a really nice, quiet, safe route. I try to wear my PPTC hat or shirt so teammates can wave, even if they don’t recognize me with a buff. I’m also doing a lot of strength classes at home, and that’s been a fun way to switch things up.
Do you have something else you’d like us to know about your experience teaching remotely or more generally about your “lockdown” experience?
I started using the Headspace meditation app for 10 minutes a day when the lockdown began. I’ve been pretty calm throughout this whole experience, and I have to attribute some of that to meditating, something I was never really into before. Having the goal of 10 minutes a day makes it manageable, and I really do think it’s helped me stay grounded.
I live alone, but have been doing a lot of video check-ins using the Marco Polo app with friends. It’s been a fun way to connect with friends I don’t normally talk to everyday, so I recommend it! Finding ways to appreciate the small things in life is really getting me through. Can’t wait to see everyone in person someday soon.
Interview and text by: Linda S. Chan
Photo: Diana Richardson
Edited and produced by: Alison Kotch