By Tamara Fyke
It has been a year of dramatic changes: closed schools, limited travel, face masks, social distancing, and remote classrooms. Families adapted to distance learning, friendship pods, and new routines. Many faced illness, loss, reduced income, and stretched budgets. Yet through it all, educators, parents, and students have continued to show up for one another in meaningful ways.
The uncertainty remains. Reopening plans and vaccine distribution offer hope, but nobody knows exactly when things will return to “normal,” or what that new normal will look like. In this time, two qualities have stood out: authenticity and resilience.
Authenticity asks us to be honest and vulnerable. It means allowing others to see our real lives — the unmade beds, pets in the background of a video call, and the makeup-free faces on Zoom. When teachers and students embrace authenticity, they create spaces where real issues can be acknowledged and addressed.
Resilience is the capacity to recover after setbacks. It begins with recognizing the difficulty and the pain, accepting that it’s okay not to be okay, and then taking steps to move forward. Resilience doesn’t eliminate struggle; it helps people learn from it and continue to grow.
At the same time, remote interaction can encourage a polished façade: carefully chosen virtual backgrounds, curated social media posts, and staged snapshots that suggest everything is fine. Those appearances can create distance rather than connection. Instead of using devices as shields, educators can treat screens as windows into students’ lives and opportunities for genuine connection.
Below are conversational prompts and practical strategies teachers can use with students — especially those in upper elementary through high school — either in the classroom or in remote settings. Before beginning, establish clear norms for confidentiality and emotional safety so students feel secure sharing.
- Invite honest conversation about video use. Rather than requiring students to turn on cameras, ask, “What makes you keep your video off during remote learning?” and listen without judgment. Students may feel self-conscious about their home environment, be in a noisy household, or have privacy concerns. Acknowledge their reasons, offer support, and gently invite them to share when they’re ready.
- Address academic integrity constructively. If you suspect students are relying on search engines or classmates during multiple-choice or true/false tests, avoid accusatory language. Ask, “Are you completing this on your own or using outside resources?” Emphasize responsibility and honesty. Promote assignments that require original thought — creative writing, character playlists, authentic group projects like a mock business proposal, or data-driven experiments — which encourage higher-order thinking and are harder to copy.
- Schedule one-on-one check-ins. Meet individually with students and ask with genuine curiosity, “How does what you share on Instagram, Snapchat, or TikTok compare to what’s going on in your life right now?” Use prompts like “Tell me more” or “What do you mean by that?” to deepen the conversation and create a space where students can be real without performative pressure.
- Facilitate group discussions about media and current events. Frame conversations around recent events and ask how social media coverage affects students emotionally and socially. For example, invite dialogue about a notable news event and then ask, “How does seeing this on social media impact you?” Allow the conversation to shift to personal experiences; hearing peers talk about the positives and negatives of social media use can help students become more mindful about what they post and how much time they spend scrolling.
- Create a listening buddy system. Randomly pair students and ask them to connect by phone, video chat, or a walk-and-talk. Their single question to each other is: “How are you — really?” The rule: listen for at least five minutes without interrupting. After switching roles, encourage follow-up questions. This structured practice builds empathy and improves listening skills.
These approaches help educators cultivate a classroom culture grounded in honesty, compassion, and accountability. Small changes in communication and assignment design can make remote learning more authentic and more meaningful. When students feel heard and respected, they are more likely to engage honestly, take creative risks, and develop the resilience to navigate ongoing uncertainty.
About the author
Tamara Fyke is an educator and social entrepreneur focused on children, families, and urban communities. She created and authored Love In A Big World, which offers social-emotional learning (SEL), mental health, and wellness curriculum and content. During quarantine, Tamara also developed MusiCity Kids, an online educational program for children ages 6–12 that explores health, movement, character development, STEAM, and more.
Note: This article originally appeared in The Learning Counsel, a research institute and news media hub covering the shift in education toward digital curriculum.