Mrs. Rifkin, a ninth grade World History teacher at Winslow Township High School is one of the many teachers who put forth their best effort to deal with the turmoil of online instruction. Teachers had to learn and get used to teaching, but also how to navigate solving technology issues and making the lessons engaging as to not have students lose focus of their tasks. 

“I was fortunate enough to have time over the summer to prepare for remote learning.” stated by Rifkin,“I attended online workshops through Stockton University and also watched a lot of videos on YouTube.”

Rifkin used trial and error strategies in order to know what methods and learning platforms would best work for students. She has used a multitude of platforms, for example Jamboard, Edpuzzle, Google Slides and Forms, and Slido. Many of these platforms she did not know of until last summer, but knew that in order to teach, she needed to learn how to navigate online teaching.

“There were a lot of risks taken this year.  I have not used most of the online programs that I am currently using.” Rifkin stated, “But I had to change my mindset and instead of feeling trepidatious, I learned to be open-minded and figure out what works best for my students and teaching style and explore those programs further.”

However, it is only the middle of the school year, and online instruction still poses a challenge for students and teachers alike. Rifkin spends hours revising lesson plans from the past to fit the model of online learning. However, when the period was shortened this proved to be a difficult task. Another challenge was how Rifkin was not too familiar with technology or how to fix a problem when it arose. 

“I was scared because I do not consider myself to be tech-savvy,” explained Rifkin, “and if I failed, I would not even know how to correct the situation.”

While online instruction has posed as a problem and hindrance on the staff and students throughout Winslow, the teachers have been and will continue to put forth their best effort to make online learning and teaching easier for both sides of the spectrum. Rifkin and her fellow colleagues at Winslow Township high school have come together to share ideas and find solutions to the problems posed against them as online teaching continues.

“Fortunately at the high school, the teaching staff as a whole are not shy about sharing ideas or asking for help.” said Rifkin, “It’s also nice to have a support group of teacher friends to vent or ask for suggestions, as they completely understand the situation I am facing.”