Though remote learning has brought many challenges, some students seem to be thriving in the new circumstances. What can we learn from them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Increasingly, teachers in our audience are reporting that a handful of their students\u2014shy kids, hyperactive kids, highly creative kids\u2014are suddenly doing better with remote learning than they were doing in the physical classroom. \u201cIt\u2019s been awesome to see some of my kids finally find their niche in education,\u201d said Holli Ross, a first-year high school teacher in northern California, echoing the sentiments of dozens of teachers we\u2019ve heard from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s not to say it\u2019s the norm. Many students are struggling to adapt to remote learning: Digital access and connectivity remain a pervasive equity issue; stay-at-home orders have magnified existing problems in familial dynamics; and, universally, teachers and students grapple with how to replicate the engagement and discourse from an in-person classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it\u2019s not a tiny handful, either, and the unplanned break from the physical classroom may be bringing to light hidden reasons some kids struggle while others succeed. In the responses we gathered from our educators, we found recurring themes\u2014like social situations and the inflexible bell schedule\u2014that simply don\u2019t work well for all kids. For a few of the teachers, at least, it\u2019s inspired them to consider making permanent changes when they return to the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think a few of mine are doing really well getting a taste of more independence,\u201d said Lauren Huddleston, a middle school English teacher in Memphis, Tennessee. \u201cThey\u2019re taking ownership a bit more because they\u2019re no longer under the micromanagement of the school day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n