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Jamie Hewett

Jennifer Nardelli

Virginia Teachers For Tomorrow II

13 December 2021

Education After Covid

“Das Schiff,” the word flies into one ear and then out the other. It’s my last class of the

day, plus it’s Friday. Looking around the classroom, I see the faces of my friends and classmates,

all trying to focus on the lesson. The lesson finally came to a close. Our teacher then broke the

news—Virginia Beach City Public Schools would be closed for two weeks. I turn to my friend

Elle, who already has a grin on her face from ear to ear. The school day ended in making

celebratory Tik Toks. Little did I know how life would change after this day. March 13, 2020,

will become a day every student and educator will remember. In the podcast titled, “How

Teaching is Changing and How to Survive with Trop Podell,” Podell takes a deep dive into what

it means to be a teacher after Covid.

Being a teacher is a huge responsibility. They are the educators of future generations.

Podell said that “the most effective teachers are also the most effective motivators,” and I

couldn’t agree more. The best teachers I have personally had were the ones that pushed me to be

better. These teachers focused on me, the student, and cultivated my abilities in a way that

motivated me to do better. My eleventh-grade English teacher is the best example of a true

motivator. I would write essays and then she would tear them apart. An essay I thought I would

do well on would receive not the best grade. She would point out every mistake from every

paragraph. So when it was time to write the next essay I would know the mistakes I made on the
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last one. She was harsh because she knew my potential to do better. So, in the destruction of my

essays, my teacher was rebuilding my skills to write better. I saw the improvement in the

feedback she gave me. With each essay, I wrote, there would be fewer and fewer issues with my

writing. My grades started to improve and without even realizing it I was being motivated to do

better. She was such an effective teacher because she was an effective motivator. If

Wonderwoman existed I wouldn’t be surprised if it were my eleventh grade English teacher. Best

of all she was an effective motivator during the online environment. She was able to motivate me

through the screen with the amount of feedback she provided. Her feedback wasn’t just a

numerical number, but they were words and zoom talks. So when Podell and David talked about

getting better feedback out to students I understood what they meant. Staring at the same number

grade for 12 years is exhausting. Changing the way of feedback, in turn, will change the way

students view academic success.

Academic success does stem from an effective teacher as well as an effective lesson.

Podell brought up the idea of archiving effective lessons. He said that this process would save so

much extra time in the classroom. I agree as well as disagree with the concept of archived

lessons. As someone who is the product of archived lessons, I see the flaws in the system. Every

generation of students is different including every individual student. This means that a lesson

being archived is eventually going to age. Even if the original lesson was highly effective, as

time passes that lesson will age against the new generations of students. This idea of archiving

lessons would only work if the lessons were to continue to evolve. If the lesson is staying

stagnant then the students will stay stagnant with them. Another issue with archived lessons is

the different teaching styles. In the podcast, it was mentioned that once an effective lesson was

found and then archived, other teachers will be able to access the same lesson. The issue is that
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every student and teacher is different. Every teacher has a way of teaching their curriculum that

their students grow accustomed to. Using an archived lesson can throw an unnecessary curveball

to students. Having to adjust their learning skills to someone else’s for one singular lesson. The

teacher can alter the archived lesson to fit with their teaching style but sometimes teachers don’t

have time. So, they leave the lesson as is. This can be stressful for the students. I know, I dealt

with a similar dilemma last year. My math teacher used another math teacher’s dated video

lessons. So while first learning the material, students learned it from one teacher, then we came

to class and were taught it differently by another teacher. This just confuses the students and can

make learning more difficult. Making learning become more of a chore rather than a joy.

Archived lessons do have the potential to be great they just need to be able to adapt to the

environment in which they are to be used.

The environment that Covid brought to the world of education was one no one saw

coming. All schools were faced with the unknown of online learning. Podell talked about how

Covid opened our eyes to the simple truth of teaching. The main message Podell drills into is

focusing on the students. He talked about how students need to be prioritized because the

classroom is made for the student, not the teacher. He talked about how teachers need to ask,

“What is best for the student?” This simple question is the key to student success. By focusing

more on the student’s learning, teaching can be evolved to fit specifically for them. Every student

is different so every teacher should be teaching differently to their students. Podell also focused

on student input equals student choice. This idea is again putting learning back into the hands of

the students. When students are actively putting input, they are making their motivation for

learning increase. Students will be interested in their ideas. Using those ideas in lessons and

teaching makes for more active students.

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Active students are the byproduct of themselves and their teachers. Teachers who have

the skills to successfully teach their students. Podell mentioned skills that will become invaluable

over the next ten years for students and teachers in education. Those skills included

project-based learning, tech tools, curriculum design, revolutionized feedback, and relationship

skills. Project-based learning is huge because most students are most engaged when their hands

are engaged too. It’s not just students typing on a keyboard, it’s being able to feel the

sedimentary rock with their flesh. Project-based learning has yielded the best results in

understanding the material. My current English teacher always says, “When the pen is engaged,

the mind follows.” Project-based learning makes the connection between the material being

learned and the mind stronger than any computer assignment ever could. Tech tools are

advancing at a high rate and teachers need to be able to use them. They have the world at their

fingertips and yet many are unskilled. Being skilled with technology would open a whole new

world of learning possibilities. Curriculum design goes back to the idea of putting the student’s

best interests at the forefront. Designing curriculums to go with the natural understanding of the

material that is being taught. Letting the teacher control the curriculum and not the other way

around. Changing how feedback is shown to students and not just using a numerical number

grade is essential. Giving the students more to work with so they can actively make a change in

their learning. Revoluntionarized feedback allows for the change to occur. Relationship skills are

probably the most important skill to be learned because human interaction is so important.

Having the ability to connect with not just students but teachers as well means a better learning

environment. One where everyone is on the same page. Allowing for open conversations to take

place to make learning more specific to the student.

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I stare at my electronic device that currently plays the newly created Tik Toks on repeat.

A text message pops up on the top of my screen: “2-week break, let’s go!!!!” Smiling down at

my phone as the bell rings I leave my high school for the last time that year. Little did my

sophomore mind comprehend the changes the will soon follow. How my education will be

changed and never be the same after Covid. Now as a senior, I see the effects Covid did on my

education and I see the changes that need to be made. Hopefully, with the time I have left, I will

be able to use my knowledge from Covid to make my and alls education better.
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Work Cited

“How Teaching Is Changing and How to Survive with Dr. Troy Podell.” The Edmentum

Podcast, performance by Troy Podell, season 1, episode 12, 12 Nov. 2020.