This is Jennifer Gonzalez welcoming you to episode 152 of the Cult of Pedagogy podcast.

In this episode, we are going to explore some ways you can create moments of genuine connection

when teaching online.

If you're listening to this in August of 2020,

you are most likely in the midst of juggling 100 different things right now.

You're managing all the messy details of starting a new school year under constantly changing

circumstances, you're scrambling for resources, you're debating the pros and cons of various

reopening scenarios. You're wondering how any of this can possibly be accomplished and deep inside

you're pretty sure it can't. As all of this swirls around us, it can help if we stop,

get very quiet and focus on one thing. Arguably, the most important thing we need to accomplish

as we move forward into the school year, building relationships with our students.

While this goal is important during any school year, in 2020, it's crucial. This virus has robbed

us all of the human connections that help us to grow, support us through hard times,

and make life on this planet so rich. For students whose home lives are not always safe,

lockdowns have introduced trauma that regular school attendance may have prevented.

We're all still hurting and we're still not out of the woods.

If you're one of the many teachers who will be starting the school year online,

or if you end up returning to online instruction at some point during the year,

making those connections will be more challenging than in a face-to-face classroom.

To help you navigate this change, I've invited Dave Stewart Jr. to join me today.

Dave is a high school English teacher who also does a lot of the same things I do. Helping teachers

do their work better through his website, books, and online courses for teachers on student

...