Mass. Teacher Of The Year: Pandemic Forces Us To Rethink What Teaching Means
NEW BEDFORD (CBS) -- When Takeru Nagayoshi was named Massachusetts Teacher of the year last May, he had no idea of the challenges that lay ahead. The New Bedford High School English teacher is now meeting with his AP lit students for one hour three times a week via Zoom. "It's hard because people don't learn through screens," he said.
More than the literature, Nagayoshi worries about his students' emotional health and the skills that come from being in a classroom. "How to organize, how to time manage, how to advocate for yourself, how to negotiate something when you miss a deadline," he explained.
Another surprising issue this young teacher is finding is that kids in this community are not as technically savvy as many adults believe. "They are good with smartphones. I will tell you that smartphone literacy is not computer literacy. My freshman student asked, 'How do you make this box tiny?' She was asking how to minimize a window," he explained.
New Bedford High is a Title I school, which means many of the students qualify for free meals at school. According to Nagayoshi, some of his students are not able to prioritize academics because of work and other commitments. "I can't tell you the number of times I've had students tell me, 'Hey Nagayoshi, I'm sorry but I have to look over my younger brother or sister," he said.
In addition to the Zoom classes, Nagayoshi spends a lot of time connecting with students individually on the phone. He said this is when he puts on his 'social worker hat,' to make sure the kids are managing their stress and anxiety about the pandemic and balancing their academics with responsibilities at home.
Nagayoshi is part of the state task force on re-entry, a group of educators working through all of the questions surrounding what school will look like if students go back to the classroom. Whether students do get back to school or continue learning remotely, this teacher of the year believes the pandemic could forever change his profession. "There is a lot of energy and urgency for folks to come together and rethink what it means to teach," he said.
