This article was written by Kaylee TerHaar-Parks
The digital approach to teaching has taken one thing no Wi-Fi signal could replace: human connection.
In classrooms across the nation we’ve seen screens replacing face-to-face teaching and students are feeling the effects on their education. Many teachers turn to the convenience of Canvas, YouTube videos, and click of a keyboard to lighten the load of in-person instruction. While these tools can offer teachers efficiency, they create disconnects for students. Seeing this dependence on technology being integrated into classrooms, we as a district, need to acknowledge its faults and begin shifting towards in-person, discussion filled, and collaborative learning environments. A classroom alive with curiosity and human connection that promotes the bonding between students and teachers and prioritizes students growth needs to be a top priority.
Our classrooms once humming with laughter, learning, and questions have been replaced by the buzz of a projector and the clicks of a computer. There was once a time when classrooms felt alive, then teachers spoke and you felt their passion touch students’ hearts, but today a glow of a screen replaces the spark in their eyes as students click away on computers filled with pre-loaded lessons. I’ve sat in the classroom filled with the sounds of typing and submission clicks on canvas. Classes with a teacher who finds little joy in sharing a passion for learning their subject because it was leeched by machines. When you feel like a burden for asking questions about assignments and you work towards a passing grade on machines rather than a deeper understanding, students feel disconnected to their education. Controlling the wave of educational technology is pivotal to the development of education moving forward in society.
While many educators have turned to videos and slides, some still cling to the love of traditional teaching. Susan Brush, a 36-year veteran educator, holds true to her values as she brings her passion for math into her classroom.
“My goal is to make math as understandable as I possibly can to as many kids as I possibly can. That really is my passion,” Brush said. “My heart is with the kids who struggle. I feel like that’s my strength, working with kids who struggle, helping them through the math, helping them get it.”
A glowing screen can’t replace the spark from a passionate teacher. Even after more than three decades in the classroom, Brush‘s enthusiasm hasn’t dimmed. Turning long days and packed schedules into a dedication to her student’s education.
“It’s absolutely one hundred percent rewarding. It really is, I mean I could retire at the end of this year if I wanted to but I don’t want to. I’m just having too much fun. Am I busier than ever? Yes, but I’m just enjoying it so much,” Brush said. “It’s a good kind of busy. It’s rewarding. I love working with high school kids. It’s never a dull moment.”
In a world of tabs and typing, sophomore Jackson Wurm speaks highly of a teacher whose face-to-face education approach encouraged him to engage with the class rather than giving into the shortcut of technology.
“How Mr. Howe does it, he talks about it four separate times. The first one, he’ll define it, and then have us write a picture and then he does a picture and we write a similar picture and then that sticks in your brain better,” Wurm said. “Online, there’s so many different ways that you can use AI and just get the work done and just turn it in. Versus face-to-face, he makes us write it in your notebook, not online, so you actually have to do the work.”
As Northview pushes for the integration of technology, some teachers aren’t buying into the digital wave. English teacher Alex Hower has made the decision to trade pixels for people as he pushes for a connection no computer could replace.
“I’ve been moving away from Canvas a little bit. Our school curriculum really wants to push a lot of stuff out on canvas, and my personal value is building relationships with students outside of the tech. I’ve done things like flip my classroom, where I put in videos of educational stuff on Canvas, but then spend most of my time in class working with the kids,” Hower said.
For Hower, the heart of teaching isn’t found in the click of a button or a letter in the grade book, it’s in the connections with students that make the long days worth it. The quiet satisfaction of knowing that he made a difference in students life is something no computer could replace.
“When we get to know our kids a little bit more, it just makes teaching worthwhile. It makes the connection grow, and it makes it feel like as a teacher we’re having impacts,” Hower said. “There’s just so much value in learning about my students and the amount of care that I put into that and the amount of care that I hope that students feel they receive. I think that is where real true value comes in with that in-person versus only pushing things out on canvas.”
Education was never meant to happen behind a screen. We’ve gotten so used to the clicks and scrolling that we’ve lost what education is supposed to feel like. True education isn’t found in a Canvas page or YouTube video, it’s built over time through eye contact, passionate teachers, and raw human connection. If Northview as a district wants to offer their students the best education and opportunities they can, they must stop hiding behind screens and start rebuilding the human side of education.
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