With students making the switch to remote learning due to the C*********s, it can be quite an adjustment for them to get used to their new educational environment. Some students transfer over with ease. Other students struggle, especially those with learning disabilities, who need a little more help than others, or generally learn better when they’re being taught in-person.
12-year-old Rylee Anderson who attends a middle school in Madison, South Dakota also had to recently adjust to completing schoolwork from home, like many students. But there was one issue: she was struggling with mathematics.
One day, Rylee was finding it difficult to graph algebraic functions on her homework. With her parents not home at the time to help, she decided to reach out to her teacher directly.
Math teacher, Chris Waba, initially messaged Rylee back with written help, but his student was still confused. That’s when Mr. Waba decided to head to Rylee’s house, which was located relatively close to his own home, with a whiteboard and marker.
Once he headed over there, Mr. Waba stayed outside of Rylee’s home, instructing her from a safe social distance through a glass door of the Madison home. For the next 10 minutes, Rylee took notes on the mini, private math lesson.
Not only did the face-to-face instruction help the student, but it was also easier for Mr. Waba, who has been teaching math for about 27 years.
“I’m a better communicator face-to-face than [on] the telephone and I think students learn better that way,” the teacher told CNN. “Teachers all across the nation have been thrown into a situation like this. I think we’re all more comfortable being in front of our classes and that’s where we’d rather be.”
Mr. Waba has been praised endlessly for making a selfless accommodation for his student. But he says it’s just his job.
“That’s what teachers are looking for, those smiles. That’s the joy of being a teacher and that’s what we do it for.”
Still, coming to teach one-on-one at struggling students’ homes isn’t apart of his job description, even right now with students making the move to online school. However, I think we could all admit that a good teacher is someone who is versatile to their students’ needs and will do anything in their power to foster their learning.
Although Rylee’s parents were gone at the time she was struggling with her homework, her father, Josh Anderson, came home just in time to take a picture of the tutoring session. See the photo below!
