The Impact of Virtual Learning on PUSD Teachers

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way schools have operated across Poway Unified School District, and teachers have been forced to adapt to instructing their students over a new medium. Many teachers in the district have expressed their struggles with the online learning model.

Jennifer Tullius, a part-time 6th grade humanities teacher at Oak Valley Middle School, said she was concerned about the absence of student-teacher connections during virtual learning. She said she hasn’t been able to provide as many opportunities as usual for her students to learn and that while they are learning, it is much more difficult to give specialized instruction and attention to the students that need it the most.

“It’s hard to be engaging and exciting,” Tulius said. “Kids need in-person social interaction.” 

Tom Swanson, an 11th grade AP US History teacher at Del Norte, said that the switch to a virtual model has changed the way he operates his day-to-day schedule. He said he begins by waking up at 4:45 A.M. and completing his grading and school work for the day before getting to campus around 7:15 A.M. Swanson teaches to his students at home from his classroom on campus. Swanson said that teaching to a virtual audience is not as dynamic as teaching to a classroom and that not having real interaction can be “dull.” 

“There is more stress in terms of not knowing how each day will go and in being not in control [sic] as to what is happening with students at home,” he said. “I have had to work on letting go of certain aspects of my class that I like to monitor. But [the class] is more casual and I have less instruction time, which is its own stress.”

11th grade AP English Language and Composition teacher Cara Jenkins said, “Honestly, working from home has made any sort of balance really difficult. There is so much more work to do, and in my long teaching career, this has easily been the most labor demanding year. I used to get a little time to myself and my family on the weekends, but now every weekend is spent working.”

Like Swanson, Jenkins said she has struggled with increased stress as well.

“My stress levels are way higher in online teaching.” she said. “I really care about my students, and I know many also prefer in person learning. This means I put a lot of pressure on myself to make sure that everyone is still getting a really good education. Online school is not ideal for many, but I know a lot of students are still eager to learn. I don’t want to let them down. Plus, I really believe in the content and skills I teach, and I know that these skills will really support students in their future.”

Jenkins said she has also changed her teaching style to suit distanced learning.

“[I’ve changed] APEL’s big research project into a group project,” she said. “Group projects definitely have their challenges, but the experience has really reminded me of all the benefits of group projects.”

Although distance learning has presented new challenges, Jenkins said she has appreciated the freedom that asynchronous learning has given her students.

“I also want to find a way to replicate asynchronous Fridays when we are back in person,” she said. “I really like having a day where students are given a list of objectives and tasks that they can complete at their own pace.”

As of March 15th, PUSD has begun allowing students to resume in-person learning on select campuses, including Del Norte. Students are split into cohorts based on their last names, and can attend school twice a week. Students will still log into Zoom meetings on their computers while in the classroom, and teachers lecture to both those at home and in person.