Opinion Blog

Classroom Q&A

With Larry Ferlazzo

In this EdWeek blog, an experiment in knowledge-gathering, Ferlazzo will address readers’ questions on classroom management, ELL instruction, lesson planning, and other issues facing teachers. Send your questions to lferlazzo@epe.org. Read more from this blog.

Teaching Opinion

Teacher Takeaways From the Pandemic: What Worked? What Didn’t?

By Larry Ferlazzo — June 30, 2022 8 min read
A clean face mask on top of scattered sharpened pencils
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

During the summer, I am sharing thematic posts bringing together responses on similar topics from the past 11 years. You can see all those collections from the first 10 years here.

Today’s theme is Schools and the Coronavirus Crisis. You can see the list following this excerpt from one of the posts:

thebiggestmistakepj

1. What Teachers Have Learned Since the Pandemic Closed Schools

Instruction, technology, leadership, resilience, and more have all faced a reality check for educators in the last two years. Read more.

2. Students Share How COVID Has Changed Their Lives

Seeing friends and getting more leniency from teachers are two things students like about school this year. Waking up early is not, though. Read more.

3. The Best and Worst Things About This School Year—According to Students

Seeing friends, teachers, and playing sports again are some of the best things students like. Masks, not so much. Read more.

4. No, Temporarily Closing Schools Is Not Like Invading Iraq

Are academic challenges experienced by students now primarily attributable to virtual learning or to overall pandemic stress? Read more.

5. How to Fall in Love With Teaching Again and Other Morale Boosters

Cultivating a sense of play in the classroom is one key strategy teachers are using to combat the stress of coping with Omicron. Read more.

6. Teacher: ‘Omicron Is Truly Bringing Education to Its Knees’

Mindfulness exercises, flexible and fun assignments, and high-interest lesson topics can make the relentless situation more bearable. Read more.

7. How Teachers Are Coping With Omicron

Using strategies that enhance student autonomy and increasing opportunities to have fun are ways to help students manage pandemic stress. Read more.

8. 8 1/2 Things That Have Been Working This Year & 6 That Haven’t

Increased use of learning games, personalized learning, and peer tutors have helped. TikTok threats and student cellphone, not at all. Read more.

9. What Teachers Think Is—and Isn’t—Working This School Year

For teachers, mask wearing and student enthusiasm are working, while administration pressure on them to do more is not. Read more.

10. Students Are Finally Back Together. Here’s How They Feel About It

While well aware of COVID-related change, students seem to be focused on such typical high school fare as grades and college-entrance exams. Read more.

More Q&A posts about schools and the coronavirus crisis:


Explore other thematic posts:

Related Tags:

The opinions expressed in Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Special Education Webinar
Bridging the Math Gap: What’s New in Dyscalculia Identification, Instruction & State Action
Discover the latest dyscalculia research insights, state-level policy trends, and classroom strategies to make math more accessible for all.
Content provided by TouchMath
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School Climate & Safety Webinar
Belonging as a Leadership Strategy for Today’s Schools
Belonging isn’t a slogan—it’s a leadership strategy. Learn what research shows actually works to improve attendance, culture, and learning.
Content provided by Harmony Academy
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Too Many Initiatives, Not Enough Alignment: A Change Management Playbook for Leaders
Learn how leadership teams can increase alignment and evaluate every program, practice, and purchase against a clear strategic plan.
Content provided by Otus

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Teaching What Lessons Did the Olympics Offer for Educators and Students?
Educators have used the games to emphasize resilience and self-improvement, among other messages.
2 min read
United States players celebrate after beating Canada in overtime in the women's ice hockey gold medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026.
United States players celebrate after beating Canada in overtime in the women's ice hockey gold medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. The Olympics have been used in schools as important lessons for educators and students.
Carolyn Kaster/AP<br/>
Teaching Opinion The World Seems Intent on Stripping Teaching of Its Sacredness. Don't Let It
Christopher Emdin explains how to make school feel like a sanctuary in troubled times.
6 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Teaching Opinion How Can Educators Teach in These Turbulent Times?
To quell the anxiety of the chaos, make your teaching more human, not more heroic.
9 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Teaching Opinion Schools Still Miss Instructional Basics. How to Change That
Veteran educator and author Mike Schmoker calls out what he sees as classroom "malpractice."
9 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week