- From shark costumes to over-the-top energy, teachers are going to new lengths to keep online students engaged.
- Some teachers are taking to TikTok to showcase their tactics.
- Here are five teachers who are making virtual learning more exciting.
It can be a challenge to keep students — no matter their age — engaged and excited to learn. To do it virtually brings an entirely new set of challenges.
However, TikTok has quickly become a place where teachers share their tactics for virtual learning this school year.
Take a look inside five teachers' virtual classrooms.
One teacher donned a left shark costume to teach students math
The teacher's colleague posted the video with the caption: "You gotta engage kids somehow."
In the video, Hannah Roddy walks to the neighboring classroom where her colleague is dressed in a left shark costume and dancing.
The teacher is using her arms and chomping to teach students about "less than," "greater than," and "equal to" signs.
The teacher in costume, Ashlee Shelton, posted another video after her colleague's garnered 19.3 million views.
"Thank you for the 18 million views and for supporting educators," the video's text states.
A kindergarten teacher in Washington went viral for her smiles and positive energy
Mackenzie, a 24-year-old kindergarten teacher, quickly gained over 9.5 million views on her TikTok video.
The video is a snippet from her class lesson on numbers. In the video, Mackenzie eagerly asks her students to hold up four fingers.
"Oh! I see Brin is holding up the number two and two," she says in the video."That will also make four."
Viewers watch as she patiently navigates helping a student named Grayson unmute himself. Mackenzie holds up an unmute placard, and Grayson's voice can finally be heard through the screen.
"It sounds like I can hear you," she says in the video. After Grayson answers the question correctly, Mackenzie exclaims, "Oh my goodness!"
Commenters were amazed by the teacher's energy, patience, and smiles.
"Y'all aren't paid enough for this. You're amazing," one user said.
"The amount of patience in this video is astronomical," another person commented.
Another teacher showcased her quick transition into a grammar grandma
In a matter of a minute, a high school teacher shows how she transforms from an instructor into a grammar grandma.
Her costume is complete with hair rollers, eyeliner wrinkles, and wide-framed glasses. The video's caption read: "Remote learning requires more energy than in-person learning."
It's clear this TikTok teacher is taking virtual teaching to the next level, and the commenters agreed.
"I know this woman doesn't get paid enough and it's infuriating. This is amazing," someone commented.
"You're amazing. Your kids are so lucky to have you!" one user wrote.
One teacher showed true patience through technology glitches
A TikTok user, who goes by the name Sof, showed how her typical class involves plenty of technology issues and celebrations.
The video starts off with Sof trying to hear a student's response through glitchy sound. She decides she hears the right response and gives a wide smile and thumbs-up to the student.
Later in the video, her classroom celebrates by throwing imaginary glitter, singing songs, and dancing. The TikTok has over 4.3 million views at the time of writing.
The video also includes Sof having to break the bad news: The students have school tomorrow.
When classes switched to online last year, one teacher went for a swim
TikTok user @lifewithshann_ shared a video of her sister's online classroom.
In the video, the kindergarten teacher is wearing a wet suit and goggles. She pretends to be swimming and proceeds to celebrate the last week of school.
The video gained over 4.8 million views, and TikTok users were amazed by her creativity.
"That's love right there ... she loves those kids and her job," someone commented.
"NOW THAT IS PASSION," another wrote.
If you're a teacher, student, or parent who wants to share their story on what it's like to go back to school right now, get in touch at mhumphries@insider.com.
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