Independent students

In an online setting, you feel that the wellbeing of both pupils and teacher diminishes a little. The group feeling also ebbs away. Pupils and teacher must be able to see each other in person, do real things together... That is more difficult in an online setting. You feel that even with online lessons you cannot reach all students and that some students drop out. You can hardly avoid that.

During the lockdown, the students knew that I was available to them every morning between 9 and 12. They could send their questions via chat or mail. But it was also possible to video call with a small group or even a single pupil to help them with something or just to have a chat. Students who I felt were dropping out, I called their parents and once I even went to talk to them personally at the door. That was appreciated.

After the lockdown, we made an extra effort to work on well-being and group spirit. A lot of parents thought we were going to work really hard to keep up with the knowledge. We did that, of course, but we also paid sufficient attention to well-being and group spirit.

I don't think my role as a teacher has changed that much. All those aspects have remained, I think because of the lockdown and online teaching that it's just been confirmed, that as a teacher we don't have to spend all the time explaining things that are already clear to ¾ of the class. It is more important to let pupils work on their own and use the freed up time to support them in other matters. This can only benefit the sense of well-being and group spirit.