It has been one hell of a year.

For teachers, our struggles have been documented all across social media—in funny TikTok videos, in emotional board of education meetings, and in pictures capturing expectation vs. reality. Despite the hardships of teaching during a global pandemic, I was committed to providing a healthy and safe space for my students during the 2020-2021 school year. Fostering engagement, trying new things, and prioritizing students' overall well-being would offer a reprieve from the heartache and uncertainty of the outside world.

It didn’t take a pandemic for me to start doing this. I always strive to cultivate a learning environment in which students can learn, grow, and be their best selves. But THIS year I had to find a way to do this in a hybrid setting (for virtual AND in-person students). I enrolled in countless virtual professional development sessions and watched YouTube videos to learn how to best create an online community of learning and collaboration. I taught myself how to effectively design my learning management system (Canvas) and to record screencasts (Loom). I vowed to meet students’ social-emotional needs, listen to their concerns without judgment, and show grace in these difficult times.

Armed with best practices and a mission to provide a safe haven for my students, I began my tenth year of teaching with an uneasiness about the pandemic but also optimism about new approaches to learning.

This year would forever change the way I teach.

Reflection on Pandemic Learnings

Our district started the year off virtually then we switched to hybrid learning based on parent choice. Seemingly overnight, I became a web content designer, a master multitasker, and a cyber security guard (anyone else get Zoom bombed this year?). And just as abruptly, our kids had to learn how to be students online. 

At the beginning of the school year, I worried how online learning would impact my students. I knew there was no way I could finish all of the geography, history, government, and economics standards mandated by the state of Georgia for 8th-grade social studies. There was an ever-present fear of students falling behind but...behind in what? In a system that favors standardization rather than personalization, students are ahead or behind those arbitrary benchmarks for each grade every single year.

Plus, it’s all relative. If we’re all behind then no one is behind, right?

I had to set aside that “loss-aversion” mindset and focus on what students were gaining this year instead. They improved executive function skills by learning their schedules, checking notifications, sending emails, and managing due dates. They applied in-person classroom norms to virtual settings. They practiced digital etiquette, became digital citizens, and collaborated with one other online. Students became more tech savvy as they navigated new online platforms and figured things out when the tech wasn’t working. And most beautifully, I witnessed students preserving and advocating for themselves. Where I fell short in covering content, we made up with skills that empowered learners. 

Once I let go of the fear of falling behind, I was able to be student focused rather than content driven. Social studies teachers often proceed at a breakneck pace covering standards that span centuries. I identified power standards and focused on themes that would best prepare my students for high school. The slower pace was so refreshing! At my middle school, we went from six classes a day to an A-B schedule in which we had three classes a day that were nearly two hours long. Because of this, we had the time to learn deeply, remediate when needed, and accelerate where appropriate. We even built in time to take breaks outside, something we rarely did pre-pandemic.

To engage all students, I removed as many barriers to learning as I could. I designed my learning management system so students knew what to do, when it was due, how they could get help, and what more could be done. Struggle with reading? I recorded myself reading the text and taught students how to use their immersive reader tools. Don’t like this assignment? Here are some other choices or please suggest your own. Need more time? Sure. My due dates are flexible to ensure you are able to exhibit what you’ve learned and what you can do. 

I am most proud of the way I handled hybrid teaching this year. I did not want to neglect my virtual students in favor of my in-person ones or vice versa. I strove to make my virtual spaces as warm, welcoming, and inclusive as my physical classroom. Relationships were built on grace and understanding. Students had to come to class during a global pandemic and at a time of social and political unrest. Some days students loved coming to my class. Other days, they just couldn’t manage. Students appreciated my flexibility and usually got right back on course after having time to readjust. 

Obviously it wasn’t all rainbows and butterflies. I struggled. Having “roomers” and “Zoomers” at the same time was a lot to manage. I set up three monitors for my computer: one for Zoom, one for all of the tabs I needed to conduct class, and my Smart Board to project content to my in-class kids. I was pretty much glued to my desk in order to orchestrate all of this. From my seat, I had to gesture to students to wear their masks properly, social distance, and sanitize their hands and desks. And I could never catch a break from email, the learning management system, and Remind texts. I was overwhelmed with notifications all of the time. 

Sadly, but understandably, I was also constantly battling student apathy. Not every student bought in. Trying to connect with little black boxes on a screen was disheartening, but I empathized with my students. Cameras can be extremely invasive. Students may have self-image issues, live in poverty, go to work with parents, or babysit siblings. Threatening to broadcast their circumstances on Zoom was not something I felt comfortable doing. And then there’s student work—late submissions, no submissions, or straight up cheating. Again, this was to be expected. We all have access to information online. Why wouldn’t students readily use it? With a little flexibility, prompting, and guidance, many students would attempt, revise, and re-do assignments.

Here is an Instagram message from a student I taught this year:

“Hello Mrs.Ellis,

I didn’t get a chance to give you a letter I wrote so I will type it here lol. I just wanted to thank you for being an amazing teacher this year .Always being positive and having a great attitude towards your students and all around being a loving teacher/ person. Also thank you for taking in work late it’s no excuse for not doing work but sometimes I just wasn’t in the right place and I couldn’t bring myself to do the work but you still took it late anyways. Most teachers would have just simply put a 0 but you didn’t so thank you . I hope you have a great summer and thanks again for being one of the best teachers I have ever had. Love you!”

— Ta’miyah (8th grade in-person student)

Showing a little grace and understanding on the front end resulted in stronger relationships with students and a readiness to improve.

Next Steps In Going Gradeless

Teaching during the pandemic has intensified my frustration with grades and prompted me to take the next steps toward going gradeless.

In a previous post, I talked about the beginning of my gradeless journey. This year I tried, failed, and iterated my gradeless classroom culture and I’m very happy with the improvements thus far. I offered more voice and choice to appeal to all students. Students collaborated more this year than ever before. I had flexible due dates and accepted all late work. I incorporated more time for self-assessment and revision.

And I became more effective at feedback. As Arthur Chiaravalli points out, feedback doesn’t always have to be individualized for students. With one writing assignment this year, I kept identifying the same mistakes and typing the same comments over and over again. So I stopped giving individual feedback, made a list of common mistakes, and selected student work samples to share anonymously with each class. I had students lead the discussion on each writing sample then review, revise, and reflect on their own work. I was amazed at how much their writing improved and how appreciative they were of the opportunity to better themselves. I’m excited to take these improvements and make them staples in my classroom instruction. 

One of the biggest changes I’m planning for next year is allowing students to track their own progress and communicate their own learning. In the past, I’ve had students use our learning management system to monitor their progress, but students aren’t at the helm of the tracking. They are just logging in to complete assignments, review feedback, and act on that feedback.

Over the last few months, I’ve lost twenty-five pounds by tracking all of my food, drink, and exercise using a weight loss app. It is extremely motivating. I can monitor my progress and it makes me work harder towards improving my health and fitness.

Similarly, when students track and reflect on their own progress, it encourages them to keep persevering to meet their goals. I really like Catlin Tucker’s method of Ongoing Assessment, where students maintain a chart in which they summarize their progress and select examples from their work to support what they’ve learned.

This can also be done through a portfolio using Google Sites, a narrative using Google Forms and Form Publisher, or the ePortfolio option available in many learning management systems. Lastly, students learn to articulate their progress and communicate the quality of their work to the peers, teachers, and parents/guardians alike. Arthur Chiaravalli offers many examples of how students can select and support a grade, including conferences, linked letters, screencast videos, or slideshows.

Conclusion

Although it has been one hell of a year, one thing is certain: we simply can’t return to pre-pandemic ways of teaching and learning. This pandemic exposed the weaknesses in education and, frankly, the stupid things we do because we've always done it that way. I am inspired to dismantle outdated practices harm our students as learners and as humans. It's not enough to abolish oppressive grading practices (although it's a good start). Those practices must be replaced with better, student-centered ones like self-assessment, gradeless feedback, and portfolios. Maybe you are where I was in my gradeless journey just a few years ago. But even if you can’t totally eliminate grades, you can make small changes that will, over time, revolutionize your classroom.

You can do it. I’m rooting for you.

Vanessa Ellis currently works as an 8th grade social studies teacher at Veterans Memorial Middle School in Columbus, Georgia. She enjoys creating educational songs based on popular hits and finding other ways to make learning fun and exciting. You can get a glimpse into her classroom on Instagram and Twitter. She currently resides in Midland, Georgia, with her husband (who is also a teacher) and their three children.

Make sure to join the Vanessa and Oliver Ellis as they host #TG2Chat: What Now? What’s New? What’s Next? Sunday, June 13, at 9 p.m. EDT.