Teaching can be a very rewarding profession. There is nothing better than seeing your students thrive! Of course teaching has its challenges as well. Just as in a traditional brick and mortar school, online teaching is very rewarding, but it does come with some challenges. The online learning community is in need of teachers who are willing to accept these challenges and provide quality learning experiences for students.
Davis and Niederhauser address the rise of distance education and the need for teachers to begin taking on different responsibilities to reach the online learner. They reported that the number of students enrolled in virtual schools increased by nearly 100% in middle and high grades from 2004-2005 academic year to 2005-2006. Because students are choosing online learning opportunities for a variety of reasons (struggling, getting a jump-start), teachers will be working with very different students. This presents some positives and some negatives.
Archambault and Kent interviewed, teachers who were asked to sum up their experience with online teaching in one word or phrase. 63% of these teachers responded with positive comments about their online teaching experience. Online teachers are required to communicate with their students on a regular basis which allows them to "assist them at the level they need". Teachers are able to focus on the students' needs because most teachers are provided with a curriculum. (Borup, Graham, Drysdale). Because they do not have to manage classroom behavior as in a traditional school, all of their focus is on the students. Another teacher reported a positive aspect was that she was able to work with inner city students without having to be in the city to do so. In the video with Holly Mortimer, she is able to work from her house to teach her online courses. She can spend time with her family and even keep her kids at home with her. She says that the biggest difference is a shift from thinking about the content to thinking about the learner. I was most surprised when I watched "Meet the Virtual Principal". I guess I just assumed that all online courses were encompassed by a school building and the principals of those buildings would be responsible for the online courses and online teachers.
In the same interviews from the Archambault and Kent article, 8% of comments were negative. 29% contained both positive and negative comments such as "challenging but rewarding". Some teachers described their experience in a negative way due to the following factors: low pay, lack of support, poorly motivated students, and little parent involvement. Other teachers reported that the course loads online teachers are expected to carry are far greater than what would be allowed in a traditional school. Another teacher stressed the fact that "plagiarizing is easier for students" in an online setting. Some teachers found they were overwhelmed by the technology aspect of online teaching. Not only does the teacher need to understand the technology being used, but also must be prepared to assist students with technology issues they may face. Borup, Graham and Drysdale found that technology was a "learning curve" for most teachers. Some teachers in Borup, Graham and Drysdale's research noted that it was difficult to monitor student comprehension of material because they were unable to see the students' faces and realize they were confused.
The following video shows online teachers sharing things they have learned from their experiences as online teachers.
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