Highlighting Educators: Maria Robinson

Editor’s Note: The COVID-19 pandemic has forced school districts to adjust the way they educate their students. The Inquirer reached out to local districts to highlight the different ways teachers are reaching out to their kids.

I am Maria Robinson. I teach fourth grade writing/grammar.

What are some ways you’re staying connected with your students online?

We are staying connected with students through the Remind app. We are a departmentalized grade level, so I am the writing/grammar teacher for all students in fourth grade. This year, we have 58 students. We have made contact with all but a few of our parents and gotten them into the Remind app. We have parents and some students in the app as well. It has been a very successful way to talk with them. While this is the main way we are staying connected, some of our parents do continue to contact us on our personal phones, and we have used Facetime to talk with a few students as well.  

What inspired you to stay connected? 

The Remind app is an app that we have used before, so it was the first thing we thought to get our parents into. We like this app because we are able to send announcements that will go out to all parents/students at once. It also helps us to ease the number of texts/calls coming through to our personal phones. 

What kind of reaction have you gotten since connecting online with your students? Were you surprised? Did it exceed expectations?

We have received a very positive reaction. Parents happily joined the app. Communication has taken a huge leap forward. Whereas we contacted parents previously for various reasons, being a departmentalized grade level, not every teacher has made contact with every parent. We are now in communication with nearly ALL of our parents on a pretty regular basis. 

Why do you feel it was important for you to stay connected to the kids this way?

Our students need to know we are still here, we are still thinking about them, we still care about them, and we still care about their education. It is important to be able to not only send out assignments remotely, but to be able to give feedback on those assignments. We need to know the assignments are being done, and being done correctly. Otherwise, there's no point. We also just need to be able to check on our students. We need to be sure they are safe and have what they need. 

How is your workspace setup at home? Are you using your phone? Tablet? Different lighting? 

I don't really have a designated workplace set up at home. It is just wherever I need to be. Sometimes I'm on the couch in my family room. Sometimes I'm at my dining room table. Sometimes I'm outside at one of the tables on my porch. Sometimes my computer is beside me in the kitchen while I'm cooking. Multitasking at its best. I don't have young children at home anymore, but many of my co-workers do. I know they are dealing with a lot right now! 

What’s the one message you wish to convey to others during this time?

Most parents want their children to continue their work. We need to come together as a community and work together to do what's best for these children during this difficult time as we walk down this new path.

Anything else you’d like to share? Could be a fun behind-the-scenes story, or the difficulties of working from home. Maybe even a photo of a “coworker” (pets, spouses, kids, etc.) Anything else that you’d like to share, please do so.

Students are just so excited when they hear from us! We have some students who now have our personal numbers and call/Facetime us continuously. They just can't get enough of their teachers!

My dogs think it's great that I'm home every day! They just don't understand why I'm not paying attention to them! One of them sits beside me while I work, dying for attention.

My youngest son still lives at home. He comes home from his job late most nights (well after 10 p.m.), and I'm still up doing work or, believe it or not, on the phone with parents trying to work out technology issues. He immediately jokingly asks me (with a grin on his face) if I'm "still at work."

One of the members of my team calls me "Mom" (that's what happens when you've been teaching a long time). She messages me all the time saying, "Mom! I miss you!" I definitely miss her too!

You know, before we left for Spring Break, we had reached that point in the year where we all started getting tired and cranky. Upcoming STAAR testing really starts stressing us all out, and the "crunch" begins. Our fourth graders reach the point where they are very "comfortable" with their teachers and little attitudes start popping up. So when we first find out we're having all this time off, some of us may at first have been having a little bit of a celebration. But when we make those phone calls and speak to our students, no matter what our attitude may be, our hearts swell at the fact that these kids are so excited to hear from us, and we realize how much we miss them as well.