Lisa Hamilton - connections through teaching
Lisa Hamilton is a high school teacher and varsity soccer coach in Northern Virginia. She is sharing her journey and how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected her career and life.
equilibreyaum: Tell me a little about your background, what inspired you to become a teacher?
Lisa Hamilton: I think the desire was always there since I was young. Back in the day when playing outside was the norm, you could often find me with all the neighborhood children and I was always the "teacher" in our elaborate games of house or survival. My years as a camp counselor taught me that I loved creating environments for kids to find joy and express creativity. In the end, I almost didn't apply to the education school - I sent in my application late. Reflecting on my reluctance, it most likely had to do with the stigmas around education - why waste my talent and intellect on becoming a teacher when you could work for the foreign service? In my second year at UVA, I went on a service trip to Nicaragua and that experience forced me to reckon with myself. I realized that I was happiest and most fulfilled by serving others and that education would be my path forward.
e: You teach history to high school students, why are you passionate about this?
LH: I absolutely love history. In order to understand the present, it is important for us to understand how we got here. Everything that happens in today's world connects to events, movements, ideologies, and wars that occurred in the past. I think that if I can teach my students how these events connect to their present day life, then they can become more informed citizens.
e: During this unprecedented time, schools were one of the first things to close. How did this impact your lesson plan and routine?
LH: At first we all thought it might just be a delay, but when schools closed for good, I was deeply saddened that I would not see my students again. Every high school student at FCPS (Fairfax County Public Schools) has a computer, so I was ready to immediately start teaching online, but the county put all teaching and grading on pause until they came up with an equitable and streamlined system for all schools across the county. I was also bummed because I was about to start teaching the Cold War, which is one of my favorite units.
e: Are you teaching online now? If so, how are your students reacting to it?
LH: We begin official online classes on April 14th after a month-long hiatus. In that time, teachers have been developing content to facilitate online learning. We have made online calendars, video lectures, interactive videos, etc. The only teaching with students I've done so far is one-on-one conferences with students working on their IB Historical Investigation paper. I also did a practice class to have students adjust to the video conference platform the county is using before we start this Tuesday. The students have shared mixed reactions. Some clearly miss the social and equitable elements that school provides, while others admitted that they don't mind the changes.
e: What do you miss most about teaching in-person?
LH: I miss my students. As much as I might complain and gripe from time to time, I really do miss them. This year I had two classes in particular that have reinvigorated my love of teaching. My 8th period brings so much joy and laughter every single day they walk into my windowless classroom. This year I am also teaching ESOL for the first time. Many of those students are undocumented and work outside of school to support their families. These students have taught me so much and they have made me strive to become a better teacher and chip away at my complacency.
e: How are you keeping in contact with your students and fellow teachers during this time?
LH: I have been using an app called Remind to text many of my students about updates. They all have an FCPS email account through Google and they get notifications about updates and announcements on Google Classroom. For the past two weeks I've been video conferencing with students to talk about how to improve their grades and what to expect when online learning begins. I've also been helping a student enroll for classes at NOVA, the local community college here.
e: I hear you're an amazing soccer player! During the school year, you use your talents to coach girls varsity soccer. Tell me what it was like having to skip the season.
LH: Honestly, it was soul-crushing when the season was canceled. As head Varsity coach I was thrilled with the team we had put together and I felt a real camaraderie among the girls. We had also raised a lot of money in the fall and invested that money in elite training sessions this past winter to improve our technique and tactical movements. We didn't get to play a single game. Soccer season is exhausting but incredibly fulfilling. There is nothing greater than hugging your girls in the ecstasy of a hard-fought win (or loss) against a rival team.
e: I'm sure you had a few seniors on your soccer team, were you able to do anything special for them before schools closed for the year?
LH: I love my seniors this year. I know how much it meant to them to play this season and it pains me that they won't get this opportunity. Our junior captain and another teammate are coordinating with all the underclassmen to create videos of each of the players sending messages of love and support to each senior. I also created a group chat with my players and every morning I give them a fitness or soccer-related challenge. They record their activity or take a photo when they are done. It's been a fun way to stay connected, stay in shape and still feel like a team despite the distance.
“My hope is that more teachers will learn how technology can be a useful tool to reach students and relate to them. I think this will push us all to be creative and create blended learning content that uses technology effectively.”
e: You just created a new school organization celebrating Hispanic heritage, tell me more about this. Are you and your students keeping this alive while you're at home?
LH: My coworker and I helped restart the Latin X Student Union at our school after it disappeared for several years. The students were in the midst of preparing presentations and dances for International Night. As of now, we haven't done much, but we were planning on discussing a simultaneous movie night or video chat to check in with the students. We will most likely recycle our work for international night and use it for our Hispanic Heritage month celebration in October of next school year.
e: During the summer, you normally travel to teach with Putney. Please explain what Putney is and how you got involved.
LH: Putney student travel is an organization designed to send students over the summer to all corners of the globe to learn and immerse in the culture and rich authentic experiences. There are three kinds of trips they offer; service learning, cultural exploration, and language learning. I've led service-learning trips to Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, and Peru. Putney also works with the New York Times to develop trips that focus on issue-specific journalism. Last year I co-led an incredible trip about immigration issues in California and we were lucky enough to travel with a New York Times journalist in LA and to the border with Mexico.
e: Where have you traveled with Putney before in the past? Where were you planning on traveling this summer for Putney?
LH: This year they hired me to be the in-country Director of the Pre-College program in Barcelona. I was supposed to oversee the operation of roughly 50 students and 7-8 leaders who would be offering college-level courses on a range of subjects relating to Barcelona: cooking, architecture, photography, sports and business, history, cooking, etc. Safe to say, I'm pretty bummed that this will most likely not be happening this summer.
“These students have taught me so much and they have made me strive to become a better teacher and chip away at my complacency.”
e: Once the stay-at-home order is behind us, how do you think schools and teaching will have changed?
LH: My hope is that more teachers will learn how technology can be a useful tool to reach students and relate to them. I think this will push us all to be creative and create blended learning content that uses technology effectively. I do not think technology can replace what we do, but we have a lot to learn from what it can offer. Schools still provide the equity needed in an unequal society. Many of my students don't have access to wifi and some do not live in healthy environments. We need schools to provide food, safety, and love to students who are most vulnerable.
e: How are you staying busy and active while we are ordered to stay-at-home? Are you watching a lot of Dragonball Z?
LH: When our wifi went out for a few days we were stuck watching old DVDs and there was a carefully negotiated compromise that involved 50% DBZ, 50% Buffy the Vampire slayer. Currently, I'm watching my fiancé’s favorite story arc with the android villains. It's getting better.
e: Thank you for sharing your story, Lisa. Anything else you'd like to share?
LH: Many people might think that this is just a break and teachers have a cushy gig going on. Many of my coworkers have to teach, while monitoring their own kids at home who are also learning online. Most teachers I know want to be with their students and love what they do. We are all working hard to provide the best education for your child while they remain at home.
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