When I began my teaching career almost 25 years ago, I could never have imagined that one day I would be a teacher in an online school. It was as unimaginable to me as a classroom without physical books, college ruled notebook paper and No. 2 pencils.
The journey to my online classroom was a long one, full of many twists and turns. I loved each step of my journey, and the students I met along the way. There were points through the years when I considered other career paths but the draw of teaching kept me in the profession.
There is no other profession that would allow me to run into former students at the grocery store and hear stories of how much being in my classroom meant to their lives, or having the opportunity to watch a student walk across a stage to receive the first high school diploma anyone in their family had ever obtained. These experiences kept me motivated during the tough times that all teachers experience.
In a way it was only natural that I would eventually be led to an online classroom, because I’ve always been attracted to the unique and different when it comes to an education and how to obtain it. There are many roads a student can take for their education, and as a teacher and a society we have to be open to unique and new possibilities for learning. New Mexico Connections Academy offers this to the student and by proxy me.
In the four years I have taught high school English at NMCA my students have run the gamut. They are teens who were tortured by bullying, are battling cancer or other serious physical or emotional illnesses, are aspiring actors and future sports stars, are kids who have always been home-schooled, and are those who just want a different setting in which to learn. The wide variety of students keeps me interested, and the challenges of building a class community and rapport with my students keeps me inspired to find new ways to do this. It has been a unique experience for me as a teacher, and I hope, for my students.
Education is constantly evolving, and so is how it is obtained. Is online learning right for every student? No, it isn’t, but I believe with my whole heart that it has a unique value to students who are able to thrive online in a way they were not able to do anywhere else. Online school requires a level of commitment by both teacher and student to communicate in new ways. It requires building a community without walls, and from my experiences I can say unequivocally that my students are every bit as connected to each other and me as they would be in a classroom where we are physically together.
New and different concepts are always met with skepticism just because they are new and different. Online education is new and different, but it has many advantages for the students it serves. It is also constantly evolving and changing in an ongoing effort to help meet students’ needs.
I’m proud to be part of the evolution. I feel privileged to work with a group of dedicated and amazing teachers who also want to be part of this evolution, and students who do too. My online teaching experience has been a valuable part of my journey as a teacher, and it is my hope that I have the opportunity to continue traveling down this unique road for some time to come.
Amy Earle lives in Santa Fe and teaches high school English at New Mexico Connections Academy.
