An Open Letter to Students and  Teachers In Difficult Times

 Hope you are healthy and standing strong facing our new reality. I feel that this is a pertinent moment to reflect on what we have done in our virtual teaching – learning process, and taking into consideration the high probability that the following academic year will be taught in the same way, at least partially, it is essential that we acknowledge what is going right and what aspects we need to work on and improve. 

 

First of all, we have to be grateful since we are privileged for being able to continue our studies. How many students in Colombia would love to be in your position, receiving a decent kind of education to prepare you for the future. At least, we have been able to advance to try to reach part of our academic goals and prepare you the best as possible for your future challenges. Despite the pandemic, our school and its staff keep working consciously and enthusiastically to find day by day diverse ways to engage students through new technologies, new methodologies, and a fair way of evaluation in order to give appropriate feedback so you can see your progress and work on your weaknesses. 

   Having considered the benefits, it is now important that we recognize the disadvantages and/or challenges of virtual education. Our academic level in the country has been going down through the years; standardized tests and several researches have confirmed this We need to realize that this was happening when we had face to face classes. Concerning English, despite the fact that our level is high at Pachas, it is still far from what we want to achieve – close to a C2 level. Imagine now that we have had to change to virtual classes – the level will probably keep going down if we do not tackle this issue immediately and find solutions. That is why it is so important to raise awareness on what is happening since it is your education we are talking about and your future – our country´s future. 

 

Studying virtually is very demanding and requires teachers and students to be 100% committed. To be honest, not everybody is made for this type of education since it demands more autonomy, passion, and responsibility than face to face classes does. It is quite easy to give up, lose motivation and simply become lazy and apathetic. When nobody is directly watching over you and making sure you are doing the work, many of you tend to relax since you still have not developed that autonomy that this kind of education asks for. Then, of course, some will always have a good excuse – the internet, the microphone, the camera, I will do it later, whatever. Simply connect to the class, then disappear. Being home does not make it easy to focus unless you are determined to. 

 

We have reached a stage in which we should reflect on what we are doing well and what we are not in order to find solutions to guarantee an appropriate learning process. The following academic year grade has to be an unforgettable year no matter if it is virtual or face to face. Big challenges are coming for all levels. If we focus on 11th grade, TOEFL will happen in about 8 or 9 months. ICFES, universities, life decisions, and much more are just around the corner. We need to improve our academic performance, our critical thinking, our reading, writing, and communication skills. We need to strengthen our values and shape our personality to face these new challenges and be prepared for a new society; we all know that after overcoming this pandemic, life will not be the same. All this obliges us to make changes in order to adapt to these new circumstances. As a passionate and committed teacher, who by the way studied 10 semesters at the university through a virtual program and knows how demanding it is, I expect 100% from my students. I expect autonomy, commitment, passion, a desire to learn and to go beyond. A warm human being who irradiates and spreads thoughts, ideas, and feelings. A young woman hungry to devour the world and fly high. A demanding student who expects her teacher to be the best he or she can be. 

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I know I might be dreaming – I might be living a utopia. Maybe I am asking too much, and please do not get me wrong. I am not angry. I might be a bit disappointed, but I do not blame it on anybody. This situation of becoming a virtual teacher has been very complicated and to be honest, sometimes I feel it is driving me crazy due to the fact that I cannot be the teacher I have always been, in which I connect face to face with my students and we enjoy being together, despite the effort we have to make – both students and teacher. As I said in the video we made with Rocío for Language Day, what a blissful moment the day I have class with you girls face to face at our school. I am sure that all my colleagues feel the same way, in Preschool, Elementary, and High School. Meanwhile, we must do something to avoid losing our path. This is not just about the English class or any other – it is about a new attitude, a new lifestyle, a new kind of person we need to be to make this hardship bearable. This message is for you and for me too – for all of us. Hopefully, at the end of each day, we can all feel accomplished, satisfied for all the interesting and productive encounters with our hardworking and ethical teachers and students. 

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Throughout my many years of teaching experience I have learned to understand that there is no one best way to motivate students and accomplish a profound teaching – learning process. All the theory and all the possible strategies that exist may work well with one group and be a complete disaster with another. So, what can we do to create appropriate learning environments and hopefully get the best out of each student? For starters, I would say that despite all the academic and cognitive objectives we have as teachers, we should never forget that it is more important the human being than anything else. If we can help a little in the process of educating good human beings, persons who are kind, respect others, appreciate differences, show solidarity, and think about improving their life and the life of others, then our classes will have paid off. After that, of course, let’s get to business and help our students develop critical thinking skills, and improve their reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. 

 

So, this was the reflection of the June Scoop edition. Hopefully, the message I want to convey reaches you. I believe in my students, in Pachas at all levels, in my fellow teachers, and I have enjoyed being with my tenth and eleventh graders, even in our virtual classes, in which I have learned and reinvented myself as a teacher. Let us take advantage of time, go beyond if possible, read a bit after the school schedule just for the sake of reading and enjoying. Let us be punctual, committed, passionate and demanding. We all deserve that. You girls have such a tremendous potential and I do not have any doubt that you will find the road to happiness and excel in life. I simply know you can do better.

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Blessings, 

Edward Moore