Though students have not been on campus in nearly a month, the Hill still sees occasional visits from teachers who prefer to teach from their empty classrooms.

One of these instructors, Mrs. Nancy Wheeler, who teaches freshman and senior English classes, detailed her experiences with eLearning from her classroom thus far. 

She said that she’s been teaching from her classroom in Loretto up to and through the week of Dec. 7. She said, “I don’t really mind (online teaching) so much. You know, I’d prefer to see the kids (in person), but the nice thing about online is I can actually see faces.”

When asked why she chooses to teach from her classroom, rather than Zoom her students from home, Wheeler joked, “I’m probably as ADD as the kids are.”

She said, “Trying to teach from home, I get distracted so easily. I find I’m just not as engaged in the class as I am when I go to the classroom, and I have a whiteboard. I think being able to do it from the classroom where things look normal to (my students), I think that helps. It just feels more normal.” 

Wheeler said that virtual teaching “is going pretty well” for her. She continued to explain how she’s altered her teaching style to accommodate students online, saying, “I quit really giving exams; I do have one or two. But I’ve changed all my exams to open-book and open note. I had to switch up how I teach (material), and how I assess it, because the kids are under stress, too. Kids need to be seeing each other. This is not how kids should be with each other. So I think because I switched up (exams and teaching) things are going far better.” 

Ultimately, Wheeler had advice for students as the semester draws to a close. She said, “Get (your work) done as early as possible. That’s a skill. It’s too easy to put stuff off when you’re online.”