And many of them were searching for an outlet to share their complex feelings. Many more were struggling with the gravity of the moment.Ĭlearly, her students were not isolated from the world around them. Others needed to continue their commute into NYC. She learned that some of her students' parents worked in the healthcare industry and could barely ever be home. In minutes, the video responses started rolling in.

The prompt for her first Submit assignment was just four words: Penny notes that getting students started with Submit was the easy part. Additionally, Submit provided an opportunity to route the students who needed it the most to additional services like her school's guidance counselor. With Submit, every student got to share out loud, not just her students who were the most outgoing. Penny had almost mimicked the in-class experience with a few key differences. She posted assignments, students recorded their thoughts on their own time, and then she responded accordingly. In April, she came across Screencastify Submit - our newest product designed to get students creating videos - and began a new process. After all, a great deal of the learning occurred during those interactive and lively class discussions. Once schools closed, Penny realized that her usual method of teaching would be difficult to continue. At the start of each class, students walked in, journaled their thoughts, and then a few students shared with the broader class. While she was in the classroom, Penny taught coping skills and emotional wellbeing through a series of written prompts.

After speaking with Penny, we were inspired to share how she kept social-emotional learning going. The mental and emotional wellbeing of our students is paramount. Without a physical classroom, students are struggling to complete online assignments amidst poor WiFi connections, limited access to technology, and changing curricular standards.įor those of us in education, it's sometimes easy to forget that students are managing all of that while simultaneously trying to process the reality of a global pandemic that has threatened our collective health, our economy, and our way of life. 9 in 10 students across the globe are out of school.

We're facing a defining moment in the history of education. Without being able to see her students face-to-face, however, Penny found it extremely difficult to check in with her students and have them genuinely reflect on their well-being. A middle school Social Studies teacher, Penny places great value on going beyond the curriculum to incorporate social-emotional learning in her classroom. When Bergen County Schools (20 miles outside of NYC) closed their doors back in March, Penny was determined not to lose the connection she worked so hard to build with her students.

Screencastify submit beta