Teaching online classes has been a decidedly odd experience for me. I'm used to being in front of a classroom. It's almost a kind of stage up there, in front of a room full of staring faces. They have no choice but to listen to me. And if someone thinks that these students, even college students, are actually looking down texting or glaring at their computers, the glow shining off of their faces like spotlights, let me assure you I'm too loud for that.
While I may be loud, I hope I haven't given the impression that I'm obnoxious. Some of my students may disagree, but I am really good at my job. Some students aren't really there to learn, and let's face it, I couldn't reach them no matter how much money I was paid or how much technology we used. If a person doesn't want to learn, then they won't. I don't worry about the ones who aren't really interested in learning; I can't reach them anyway. For those who do, however, I have excellent strategies I've built over time that help students understand the basics of writing and literature. I can turn abstract concepts into concrete building blocks they can apply.
I worried at first whether or not I could be just as effect online, and I have to admit, I'm really not as effective a teacher. There is something about what I can do in front of a classroom that is almost magic. I've found that I don't have the same presence online, but rather than being a total failure, I've found a way to be successful at this, too. Students who take online classes have to be more motivated because they don't have an instructor standing over them turning what is abstract into something concrete. These students have to read the material and understand it for themselves. I am pleased, however, that I can post little nuggets of information each day that help them. If they read them.
There are more pluses to teaching online. When students become irate because I won't take a late paper, or when they become incensed because I won't give them A grades for F effort, I find that it doesn't bother me as much. I can laugh it off because I don't know them, and they don't know me. I can really grade fairly because I can't see them so I can't get to know them and start showing the inevitable favoritism. I have less stress with online classes. So maybe I don't get to see their faces everyday and assure myself that I'm making a difference, but I still get to do what I love, without most of the stress that comes with teaching in front of a classroom.
CS
