As bungled school openings continue to go viral across the country, we are craving some sort of positivity to reflect our previous senses of normalcy when it comes to kids and learning.
This teacher, Mackenzie, has taken some serious steps to keeping her kids engaged, and as a result has seen her techniques go viral on popular platform TikTok.
@kenziiewenz my facial expressions trying to keep kindergarteners engaged in online learning ##onlineschool ##fyp ##teacher
♬ original sound - kenziiewenz
Mackenzie, who barely even blinks during this entire lesson, employs a number of tactics to keep her students engaged.
As she teaches her kids about the number four, she looks around the video session to see what combinations of fingers her students are holding up that will add up to four.
"Oh! I see Brian is holding up the number 2 and 2, that will also make 4!"
Mackenzie told Buzzfeed News:
"In order to keep 5- and 6-year-olds engaged, you really have to do a performance for them."
"I do think that teachers are actors and we have to put on a show for these kids to keep them engaged when they're in their homes."
She added:
"I wasn't exaggerating for the camera or doing anything but teaching."
"I was just trying to make sure they were looking at me and not their doggies."
Mackenzie spends around three hours per day with her kindergarteners, with small breaks so the kids don't fatigue.
Mackenzie often ends her day with headaches and exhaustion, and watching back this video says that "it completely makes sense."
She thinks the positive response to her video is because:
"I think they're [viewers are] realizing how hard it is to be a teacher."
"Teachers definitely don't get enough credit for what we do and [people] never get to see teachers in action."
This pandemic has had an exhausting effect on many of us, but if you can watch this video and see how to push through, maybe you can cull some inspiration.
Jane Rosenberg
Jane Rosenberg
