So You Want to Be (or already are) an Online Educator?

Oh wow!! I've been praying about making this my next chapter and I see this thread just now! I'll be reading the posts to see what others have to say about online teaching.

 

Does anyone work for Connections Academy or K12? If so, what are you experiences? Do they pay on time?

 

Push for that curriculum! That happened to me once and I didn't get a printed curriculum map til 2 months before end of school!! It was awful, since I was also a brand-new teacher! Looking back, I should have pushed way harder to get it sooner. How can one be expected to do a good job with no target goals or framework!

 

I am a new SPED m/m teacher and have a video interview for an online Special Ed. teaching position this coming Tuesday. I have read most of the posts/replies in this thread- several times.
Q: I usually do well in interviews. I won't share why I'm not in a teaching position at the moment, but, I will share that it is because of my own decision to leave my previous B/M school SDC job. Is there anything notable I should be prepared to answer during my interview? I have read countless bad stories of online teaching and am a little concerned that admin simply overloads and bullies the teachers to the point of quitting. However, I am aware most online reviews (for any job, service, item, etc.) come from those who were dissatisfied or unhappy with their experience. So, I am taking that into consideration and proceeding ahead with an open mind and a positive attitude.
Any info or feedback will be appreciated.

 

Your best bet when it comes to your concerns is to know what questions to ASK.

• Is the curriculum pre-made and are you able to make adjustments for differentiation?
  
• What is the school's definition of student engagement? How does the school support teachers who have students who refuse to engage?
  
• Are Special Education teachers expected to team teach with specific General Education teachers or act as a pull-out resources for all subjects (personally, I loved the former)?
• What are expectations for time spent working with students vs. maintaining IEPs and Progress Monitoring?

Bear in mind that I am not a Special Education teacher but I worked (and continue to work) very closely with my counterparts.

 

I got the job!
Had my SPED mild/moderate teacher HireVue (similar to Skype) online live interview yesterday with a very large online charter school company. I may have over-prepared (but how can one really do that?) from reading and watching too many helpful hints videos, writing things down, and finding just the right lighting and position to place my laptop so the background felt right to me. In any case, the interviewers were two (friendly looking) 40-50 something female admins from the SPED dept. who appeared in two separate smaller screens on my laptop screen. The experts try to emphasize looking into the camera, check my lighting, makeup (yes makeup, even for men), and trying not to say "Uh" "like" or "um" and to answer promptly without any awkward, lengthy pauses, etc. It's a lot.
Here's what I did:

• I wore a jacket and tie and a dark shirt. Wear dark, solid clothes for online interviews, it doesn't mess with the camera and you look more interesting.
• I made sure to smile frequently at the right spots. Hard to remember that, just be cheerful; and I spoke in a bit higher voice than I might have without practicing.

• I had my resume and cover letter ready to refer to in case interviewers didn't have it.
• I had 3-5 post interview questions written down (many were answered during the course of the interview and I would never actually ask five questions, IMO, that's two or three too many).
  
• I actually did tape "look at camera" and "don't say "um, uh" postits on top of my laptop, but, our mind learns to ignore those real fast, for the future, they're not worth it.
  
• I "broke the fourth wall" so to speak by confiding to my interviewers that I know I'm supposed to look at the camera, but it is hard to not look at the interviewers, and that I had put the postits on top of my laptop as reminders. They seemed charmed.
  
• I talked about practicing their curriculum software and could describe it by name and related my experience with it to them. Smiles from interviewers.
• I took notes as they described their various types of schools because I was afraid they were going to quiz me about it at the end or something. They didn't, but I believe they could see I was taking notes. Probably a plus for me.
• I had water with me and drank some, I made a joke, I laughed, I told them about how happy I was in my last job to get one of my kids extra gen. ed. inclusion time and that it touched me. I told them I strive and hope to get really proficient at teaching- so proficient that I would seem smooth, expert, and at-ease. I told them I was just human.
• They didn't ask me "stumper" questions. They were easy questions- "tell me about your teaching experience?" What did you do that you are proud of? how do you organize your teaching materials and files? and so on. These schools use a computer-based digital algorithm that determines if your body language, appearance, verbage, facial expression, at-ease-ness, etc. meets their criteria. My research leads me to believe these online video interviews are looking for certain qualities that will go with being an online teacher more than they are deep pedagogical knowledge like- do you sound friendly, approachable, intelligent, curious, willing, happy, positive, down-to-earth, etc.?

I asked a question that catnfiddle mentioned as to whether students could get credit for simply logging on and clicking off without doing any work or whether real work was required. That question made interviewers slightly uneasy because I saw what appeared to be a micro-reaction of embarrassment. Yet, it worked in my favor as one interviewer answer that, yes, it used to be log-in, click-off, get credit. But no more. Students must work on the assignments to get credit. She seemed relieved and proud to tell me that and I suspect she realized that I had done a lot of research on their schools. Indeed, several reviewers of various online charter schools have similar tales of the log-in/click-off, get credit courses.
The interviewers told me at the beginning that the interview was not for a specific job, it was just to create a pool of teachers for when they need them.
I thought I would wait weeks or days to maybe get called in for the second, in-person, deeper interview, if at all. Then I thought I would next be asked to perform an online PowerPoint lesson, and then they might decide about me.
That's not what happened.
Today, the school called and offered me a job! I accepted. I start the one hundred percent online training week Tuesday. Honestly, I don't know why they offered me a job, or why so soon and easy like this. Maybe they really do need online SPED teachers? I consider myself a pretty tough grader and I gave myself a B-minus on my interview performance. But I write a helluva resume and cover letter- I always get lots of interviews.
I will miss seeing the kids smiling faces and playing with them like I did in my face-to-face classroom. But this is a new journey for me, and I am also a very new teacher at age 61. Thanks, catnfiddle and to all of you. I will answer any questions you have within reason, but I'm going to be pretty busy for a while very soon.

 

If I am breaking a rule by asking about a soecidic school I apologize. I'm still new to all this teacher stuff. I want to work for an online school badly..... I am tired of reading what are likely, bitter reviews. Can anyone tell me what it is like working for k12? Specifically one of the Texas branches of k12 as a teacher? I fell into a terrible brick and mortar job (school violence issues, no support or mentoring for a new teacher) I saw one of my students kick the head of another student in my classroom until he was hospitalized. Admin didn't even ask if I was ok. I was not contracted and couldn't stay any more after that. Obvs not an issue everywhere and certainly not online.....but I just want to make sure of what the culture is really like. Any words are appreciated.

 

Update.... I have an interview tomorrow morning for an online HS science teacher position. I am so excited. I did the video interview and got moved to the next step. With the schools being closed I really need this (no sub jobs.....no $$$), especially with the COVID-19 stuff going on. I know I am not hired but I am excited because I have wanted to work for this company since my daughter graduated from there 4 years ago. Please send positive thoughts and prayers my way. I have been told I interview well but I am never happy with myself after interviews. I will let you all know the results when I find out. Whether I get the position or not I am super happy to at least get the shot at it. All of you be safe and I will update soon.

 

I thought about this thread the other day. I was like, hmmm everyone's an online educator now!

 

Update....got the position......totally excited......start orientation tomorrow. Disappointed in salary (big shock)...lol. what sage advice can y'all give the new guy

 

First of all, the salary shock is real. The idea is that you save money on clothes and gas is supposed to mitigate this. If you do go to your school's physical location, track your mileage. If they don't reimburse you, the IRS will.

Will you have a mentor or at least someone who will help you for the first semester? My first year of teaching online was a nightmare, but once I found other teachers with more experience to help me, I thrived. Most online schools will hold your hand for at least Fall Semester.

If there is one thing I can tell you, it's that you may feel like you are white-water rafting and have suddenly been tossed into the water. If this happens, the best thing you can do is lie back, point your toes, and follow the flow of what is happening around you. This mantra pulled me through many happy, successful years of teaching online. Now that we're under this quarantine, it shall serve me again.

Please feel free to reach out with any random questions.

 

That's super exciting! I have been teaching internationally for 11 years and return home this summer. I was looking at an online school in my state (I'm from California), but the school won't allow me to apply until I am back home....so, that decreases my chances since they start posting jobs in May and I won't be home until a couple of months after.

 

This is so appropriate for what we have all been thrown into!

 

It depends on the state where you live and have your teaching license. A quick Google search for online charter schools in your state should help you get started. There are some nationwide franchises, such as Connections Academy, but many are from state to state. You'll need to do some research to decide if you want to apply.

 

Update: Ended my first semester as full time online SPED teacher. I'm actually a new teacher, also. This has been the BEST teaching experience I've ever had. I feel appreciated and have received several Hallmark e-cards from admin. complimenting me and showing their appreciation for my hard work. It's nice to be respected and noticed for my skill. Yes, I have to create and find my own curriculum, but the school wants me to teach only ELA and math and only for IEP goals. So, I don't need a progressive curriculum with a start/end point. There is a bank of lessons if I care to use them and I've tried a few. But mine seemed just as good or better which was a pleasant validation. The kids were fun and there were many touching moments where a student exhibited learning. The older students were sad to leave me at the end of the year and I guess that's the best compliment a teacher can get. Anyway, this year I begin my online, California Clear Credential program along with full time teaching. It will be a busy year. Thanks to all of you!

 

Day 2 of Fancy Completely Virtual School.

I like it, but man, if I feel like tech support!

The fact that it's kindergarteners and a lot of brand-new parents isn't helping. On the bright side, I think I will master the curriculum just by trying to figure everything out.

 

Hello, Every one

 

I have been at my virtual school for about 6 months now! It is going well. When I started there I worked in an office, but they closed the office and I now work from home full time. It is lovely being able to sleep until 7:30 AM, and then work in leggings and a hoodie most days! Sometimes I do go in person places for meetings or for testing, and I wear professional attire on those days only.

I would get paid more in a regular district/traditional school, but overall I did get a small raise over what I used to make when I lived in NC.

 

Very cool! My former online teaching job didn't pay as well as my current one (temporarily remote), but I saved money on wardrobe, gas, and lunches.

 

It's great when people can change it in so easy way. That's why I think that online teaching is much profitable and easy for regular tutors, who prefer to organize their time how they want, and not how principal wants. Maybe all tutors already know these online courses website called Preply, and their speak American English section as well. They have pretty nice and fair payment system for any discipline, which actually is up to you and your personal preferences.

 

Oh, that's awful! Do you have any hopes of going back to full-time?

 

I think teaching online is very hard

 

So at my online school, the chain of problems goes like so: teacher makes so many attempts to deal with problem, then passes it on to administration.

I have a student who hasn't been online for a month. It's a tricky situation: parents split custody, alternating weeks, and only Mom has the schooling stuff including the login information. She states her plan is to just do double the work on the weeks the child is with her (this hasn't happened). I suggested it might be best to get Dad signed up and trained to help with schooling and logged in. This hasn't happened. Mom finally explained Dad doesn't have a computer for Child to use. The only number I have is Mom's.

After making half a dozen attempts to work with Mom and this kid haven't done a single solitary thing including logging in a month, I follow protocol and send it to administration.

The problem gets reviewed... and sent back to me to try calling Dad and getting him a computer and trained.

Sigh. And just where am I going to get Dad's number?

(Kicker: Sure, I could beg Mom for the number, but it's also against policy to speak to unregistered parents).

 

So admin is telling you to break policy? Bad, bad admin!

 

This year was my first year teaching online classes; it was interesting and challenging. The kids decided they were on vacation, it was hard to maintain discipline. After the vacation, I hope to work as usual.

 

Hi everyone, I am new here. I would like to be an online educator, I think nowadays it is very popular and useful.

 

Hi there,

Very interesting subject.

I am an online educator since 1 year now. I
teach physics by visio (average 25 students).

My everyday challenge is to maintain a good attendancy >90% but it is quite hard for learners to pay attention during all time in class.

I noticed that when I organise interactive activities with my class the attendance is quite higher and my learners are more productive. I had the chance to noticed it with an mobile application I downloaded recently on the Play Store and I would like to share it to you.

I think it is very important to monitor the attendance of a class. If we use well the statistics provided by the application we could improve the quality we deliver as an online teacher and it is very important for our students and for us especially in our actual context (covid).

That's too bad I would have attached a screen of the application but I don't know how to do it so for the ones interested in improving our way of teaching the app name is "Attendance register, attendancy tracker"
I tested others application but in my opinion it was the best in the Google Play Store.

I hope it could help,
Regards

 

I am Following 3 tricks to be efficient Online class teacher..1.Treat an online course like a “real” course.2. Hold yourself accountable. 3.Practice time management.

 

I try and keep things as interactive as possible. I always start with discussions about his/her day and we expand upon that. As you get more comfortable so too do the students and the overall experience is easier. It will improve I promise!

 

Hey guys!

I’ve been reading some of the posts and am happy to see resilience and enthusiasm, despite all the difficulties that online education (and education in general) is presenting you with.

I’m a part-time teacher currently studying for my PHD in education and technology, so it’s important for me to stay on top of current developments in the world of online education. Consequently, I frequently go out into the (mostly online) field, talking to teachers and engaging in forums.

One thing I hear again and again is that while content is easy enough to scrape together, an inclusive and empathetic connection with students is much harder to maintain. For some students, without this connection from the teacher, their learning can quickly drop off.

What are the tips and tricks you use to hold engagement when undertaking online/ blended learning? It can be tiring but I try to change my activities quicker and incorporate some elements of writing/ drawing, so students have something to do with their hands while they’re in front of the screen. Speaking to my point above, I also make sure that I address every student by name at least once.

A professor in the field of education and technology that I’ve been following is giving a free webinar with a Q&A at the end on Thursday. It seems pretty interesting so I thought I’d share the link with you: Webinar | LuminPDF

Thanks for having me on the thread!
Alex

 

Hi guys! I read through this thread last year when everyone was thrust into the virtual teaching world. I taught virtually through my whole first year of teaching. I was just asked to do a HireVue interview for a Virtual Academy and I am so nervous!

From everything I did last year, I have awesome lighting and a nice background so at least things will look good!

 

I think online teaching and learning have become a huge reality of today's pandemic struck world. In my opinion online education has come about as a great saviour for all the teachers and students involved, as the education could continue even without the physical presence of either teacher or student. This has specially been very useful for preschool kids who due to their age could not be risked coming to schools and who otherwise would have never got any chance to have interaction with their teachers and friends, had online teaching would not be available. To know more about the effect of online teaching on preschoolers, please visit

 

Are you talking about creating full-blown content or material for live sessions?

 

It seems a very good idea.

 

This sounds like you wrote it for a class assignment.

 

What are everyone's opinions on how virtual learning during COVID has changed online schooling? Like, will there be more virtual options even post-COVID? I am not opposed to teaching online after I graduate with my bachelor's and credential, but I think I need the weigh the pros and cons more.

 

Bear in mind that I'm writing this as a teacher who has worked 100% online and in a blended / flipped classroom.

I think there will be more opportunities for blended learning, meaning more choices for students who work better independently and away from a traditional setting. Students who cannot, for one reason or another, function in 8 periods of 47 minutes apiece have alternatives.

The main sticking point I see is one of accountability. This applies to both students and schools. There must be ways to ensure interaction and assessment. As I'm very fond of reminding students, I don't expect or desire them to teach themselves. If a student chooses an alternative learning situation, there needs to be a platform for regular check-ins that are more than using the school for pickup and dropoff of assignments. In this respect, it would behoove teacher training programs to have instruction on best practices for teaching online and in a blended situation.

One thing I'm pretty sure of is that we have seen the end of the snow day / calamity day. We had a calamity YEAR.

 

Thanks catnfiddle. I appreciate this. Can I ask what you teach/have taught? I'm going to graduate with K-8 certification and I would prefer to teach middle to upper elementary, but I assume there are less options than for secondary. I will say, with all the Tick Tok threats and violence in schools I've heard about, it looks better and better - but I don't have the perspective of a teacher, yet.

I'm in a 2+ yr. long teacher's ed program in WA and we have barely gone over doing virtual and blended teaching, despite only going back to campus this September. I took two teacher's IT classes, but they were more emphasized on virtual learning tools, rather than anything about teaching online.

 

Absolutely! I taught 9th and 12th ELA online and all grades (including adult diploma) ELA in person and blended. My most earnest suggestion is for you to get through and complete Google Educator Level 1 Certification. I didn't earn it until 2020, but it verified that everything I had learned previously could be applied going forward. Additionally, it looks sexy on a resume.

The link to get started is https://edu.google.com/intl/ALL_us/teacher-center/certifications/educator-level1/?modal_active=none. I'm not advocating or endorsing, but I am sort of suggesting you at least examine.

 

Thanks catnfiddle, I'll look into this! The Fundamentals Training resource at the bottom looked very helpful for prep. I can foresee this being helpful after I get my degree.