Hi Viviane! Thank you for chatting with me today!

You are an elementary school teacher! That is so incredible! Will you tell us about your background in teaching that led you here?

Sure! I have been teaching for over 10 years!! I have taught in International Schools in Portugal, Brazil and now I teach at a public school in NYC. I am a certified Special Educator by the New York state and I am also an IB (international baccalaureate ) teacher, which means I can teach anywhere in the world. 

You switched to teaching on Zoom when the pandemic started, correct? 

Correct. 

What would you say was the biggest learning curve or obstacle for you when everything was shifting to digital work?

I would say that keeping my students motivated daily. With many distractions at home, it was hard to keep my students focused and motivated. My students are seven and their attention span is short, so even lesson planning was a challenge because we had to shift the curriculum to remote learning and we did not know if it would work or not. 

What sort of effect do you see this having on students? 

My students showed themselves to be very resilient during these difficult times. They often complained that they missed school and their friends and we know how hard this has impacted their lives. On the other hand, they developed their tech skills and became a lot more aware of their learning process. 

What would you say the status of in-person vs. online schooling is at the current moment?

In NY, we have over 55 % of the population fully vaccinated and we already know that we will be in the school building five days a week, different from the blended (2days a week) we reached at the end of the school year. I am looking forward to returning to in-person learning and working with my students and co-workers. 

What has been the most interesting or rewarding part of teaching in so many different places?

I love learning about new cultures, languages, trying local food, so working at different places and countries has worked well for me. I speak three languages fluently and have taught students from different cultures and backgrounds. That is very rewarding!

How do you hope to see the state of education evolve in the future?

I hope to see more diversity in the classroom and more personalized learning based on the students’ needs. 

Thank you so much for your time today! It has been lovely speaking with you!

Thank you for having me

End of Interview