“Where in the world is my teacher?” School closure and remote education have opened the door for a new breed of teacher, a Waldo. Waldo, like the personage in the children’s puzzle book depicted within a group of people in different places around the world, is a teacher who can physically be anywhere in the world and work daily as a teacher for your school. Note – a teacher for your school not in your school. If Waldo holds a valid teaching license for your state, Waldo can be a remote teacher for your school. The answer to the question, “where in the world is my teacher”, is this – physical location does not matter.
The 2020-21 school year will present a buffet of schooling scenarios in any given school district. In-person schooling will return children to classrooms with protocols for distancing, masking, and hand washing. School-based remote home schooling will meet the needs of parents who do not believe in-person schooling to be safe for their children. A families economic and technology status will play into this decision, also. And, an array of hybrid scenarios involving in-person and remote education will be implemented for schools unable to provide safe, distanced education in their classrooms. Finally, ever present is the likelihood that COVID may cause a school to close classrooms or schoolhouses and engage their programs for remote education.
From a teacher employment perspective, 2020-21 will require the hiring of more teachers. Without debate, money will be a problem. State allocations to schools will be dinged by COVID’s depletion of recent and future state revenues. Federal monies already approved will be bolstered with more monies to meet the political imperatives. Local taxation limits will be massaged. Money will be found, because the real and perceived need for children to be schooled this fall is great. Period!
Our Wisconsin county contains five school districts. It is very safe to say that any county resident holding a valid WI teacher license and wanting to teach is or will be employed this fall. And, we still will be short of licensed teachers. It also is safe to say that the given economics of Wisconsin and our region do not make relocating for employment a realistic option for job seekers. Reasonably priced housing in our county is scarce and even low interest rates for housing loans does not change that fact. We will not be able to attract enough teachers to move to our school districts to fill our teaching needs.
Hello, Waldo! We will advertise for non-resident employment. Any teacher holding a valid Wisconsin teaching license for the positions we post will be considered for employment as a remote teacher. A candidate can live anywhere. The only stipulation is that the teacher’s location has and can sustain adequate Internet connectivity. We will provide modems, laptops, additional screens, cameras, and other technologies to make the remote teacher synchronous with our school, students, and parents.
A Waldo will teach the school’s curriculum using lesson plans devised by our in-person teachers. As an example, an in-person first grade teacher will use the district’s curriculum guides to create unit and lesson plans for in-person students. We want all first grade children to receive the same high quality instruction regardless of their physical location. These units and lessons comply with state disciplinary standards and provide the academic progression for children to advance grade level to grade level and through secondary subject sequences. Although standardization historically has been frowned upon, in the time of COVID and the need for school scenarios, standardization will be a requirement of instructional supervision.
Waldo will be provided lessons in reading, ELA, math, science and social studies. Elementary Waldos also will be provided lessons in art, music, and physical education. A remote education will be an identical twin to an in-person education. Secondary Waldos will teach subjects within their licensure. We will need specialist Waldos. Waldo also will be provided with student assessments and access to the school’s pupil records to ensure that students and parents can accurately follow a child’s academic progress. Waldo, like an in-person teacher, will communicate with students and parents regarding a child’s schoolwork.
The question of accountability arises for Waldos. Out of sight leads to less in mind. To remove this problem, school principals will supervise Waldo just as they supervise in-person teachers. Principals will observe Waldo’s daily interactions with in-person teachers, students and parents. Principals will observe Waldo’s synchronicity to ensure that Waldo is approximating in-person teacher and student exchanges. Principals will observe Waldo’s pupil recordkeeping. Remote teaching is not interstellar – it is clicked connection away.
In every aspect, except physical location and responsibility for unit, lesson, and assessment design, Waldo will act as an in-person teacher in the schools. Our socially distanced and safe faculty meetings will include all Waldos. Literally, Waldo is just down the hall and around the corner.
The future will be affected by the present. When COVID becomes history, the evolution of teaching and learning may find advantages in using remote teaching talent, talent that is not physically in the schoolhouse. Waldo may not just be anywhere, Waldo will be everywhere.