so....what do you DO?

I get asked this question a lot and have been meaning to post for awhile about my job and how it works. A lot of people wonder how in the world I do what I do and what it all includes.

When I tell people that I teach online, their first assumption is that I teach at the collegiate level. They are a bit in awe when I tell them that our school is online for Kindergarten through 12th grade (thus the name, "K12"). It is hard for people to understand how students can do ALL of their education from home and on a computer. It's interesting to hear people ask how these students have any sort of social interaction and if it's good for them to be working on schoolwork from home without a teacher right there. It definitely is preparing me for when I will be answering similar questions when we homeschool our own children.

Virtual education is not for everyone. I have some students who probably shouldn't be in this setting, so it is my job to work with them more to keep them motivated and engaged since they might not have as much parent involvement as they really need to have. However, it does work for many others. I have students whose parents are in the military and they need to travel a lot. This prevents them from having to switch schools frequently and then be at a different place in the curriculum each time. I have students who are in our hospital homebound program and if it weren't for this option, would be missing too many school days to have a quality education. I have students who were bullied and now feel free to learn and succeed. I have had the bullies- those who were in the principal's office too many times to count and were too busy disrupting class to pay attention to what was being taught. These students have been able to put aside the negative classroom behavior and instead focus on their education. I have numerous students in sports who travel all over for competitions and events. K12 even had a student who was on American Idol this past season!

Virtual education is a great alternative for those parents who want to be able to have their children at home for school but who don't feel comfortable teaching the material or looking for the material on their own. It provides a standard for the students and a plan for the family. And it works very well when the children and parents are both on board.

A lot of people wonder what my role is in all this. For the middle school students, they have a daily plan to follow which includes offline book work and interactive online work and assessments. I don't teach these students anymore, but when I did last year, I was responsible for checking to make sure they were completing their daily plan and check their online assessments. I also held conferences with families once a month and would have students answer questions for me based on their offline work so that I could make sure they understood the material. If not, then I would try and find ways to help the learning coach (usually the parent) by giving strategies that might work to help the students succeed.

Screenshot of my Online School

Last year, I had this role along with teaching high school English. This year, I am able to focus on my English students, and also teach a on a different platform for middle school intensive reading. My role this year includes a lot of phone calls to students who need extra encouragement and motivation, meeting with students one-on-one in my online classroom to provide reading strategies or help with English. For instance, today, I met with one of my AP English students who was struggling to understand the story she had just read. We met and discussed the story. I also do a lot of grading of papers and assignments. In addition, I answer hundreds of emails each week from students and parents. Lastly, I hold something called "ClassConnects" each week which is an online lesson with direct instruction. Students log in to my online classroom and I teach them some sort of reading strategy or English skill. This is an interactive time of chatting, using microphones and tools to go over a lesson that I usually put together using PowerPoint. It is sort of difficult to picture what it looks like unless you were to log in to my room and check it out.

My Elluminate (online) Classroom

How in the world do I balance this with taking care of Hannah?

I receive this question a lot. I admit, it can be overwhelming. And if not for the grace of God and the support of my husband, I would go insane. I tend to be a perfectionist when it comes to my work, being a good wife and mother, and keeping my home "just so." This job has definitely challenged me to put everything in the hands of God and realize that sometimes something just might not get done when I want it to. I might have a sink of dirty dishes for a day, and that's okay. I might not get all my phone calls made because Hannah woke up from her nap early. And that's okay.

If you are wondering what a typical day looks like, though, when my time management skills are working well, this is the ideal schedule:

6:30- Wake up, do devotions, shower
7:00/7:30 Hannah wakes up
7:30-9:00 Breakfast and play with Hannah
9:00-9:30 Check emails (Hannah watches some Sesame Street)
9:30 Hannah down for a nap
9:30-11:30 Phone Calls and Meetings with students/ faculty meetings
11:30/12:00 Hannah up from her nap
12:00-12:30 Lunch
12:30-2:30 Play with Hannah (check email periodically)
2:30 Hannah down for a nap
2:30-4:30 More phone calls, conferences, meetings
4:30 Hannah up from her nap- wrap up the work day

(on Tuesday and Thursday, from 11-2, I have a babysitter for Hannah and this is when I teach my ClassConnect sessions)

Yes, I know I am blessed with a great napper/sleeper!!

After Hannah goes down to sleep at night, I do most of my grading and other required paperwork and planning. This doesn't bother me because, as a teacher, regardless if I were doing this online or in the classroom, I would have work to do in the evening. Since John is also a teacher, we definitely have an understanding of what we need to do with grading and planning in the evening. We just make sure we also spend a little time unwinding together. I do also have to do some work over the weekends, but again, as a teacher, this would be the case regardless.

It may be a balancing act, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I can't even imagine going back to the classroom and having Hannah in daycare. I try not to complain about it because I know there are many mothers who wish they could be home with their children.

My "office"