Katelyn Liu
Foothills Middle School's Mrs. Salazar Keeps Students Connected Despite the Distance
By Foothills Middle School's Katelyn Liu
Seconds after 8:45 a.m. as I check Google Classroom, a post pops up, “Is anyone in the Zoom meeting yet?” Immediately after, multiple replies follow - “No, how about you?”, “Can someone tell Ms. Salazar to let me in?” As we are admitted into the meeting, Ms. Salazar typically greets us with “Hey, kiddos!”
We chat for a bit before proceeding to Daily Oral Language, also known as D.O.L., or Dole Whip as Ms. Salazar calls it. She often makes us laugh with her undeniable sense of humor, which we desperately need during these challenging times. During break, she always requires that we drop what we are doing and get out of our seats to move around. Yes, we have to do this even if we are in the middle of a sentence.
During art, we listen to Bob Ross in the background while we work on our masterpieces. One time, Bob Ross said, “Let’s draw this happy little cloud!” For whatever reason, we all could not stop giggling. Ms. Salazar often addresses us ever so endearingly by calling us her “kiddos and eager little beavers.” Yep, these are some of the moments from my Block 1 Humanities and Period 3 Enrichment class which get me through distance learning during the pandemic.
“Ms. Salazar welcomed us into Foothills by creating a strong community for us to learn, have fun, and feel comfortable to express our feelings even during these challenging times,” Simran S., a student in class, shared. She fosters a positive virtual space that allows us to bond with our classmates, even during distance learning. I vividly remember the video tour that Ms. Salazar gave us early in the school year of what would have been our classroom had we returned to school in person. We envision ourselves working there. She also created a ritual called the Pencil Drop to recognize students who make outstanding responses to questions in class. She drops a pencil from above the table and everyone claps to support their classmate. Even though I have not met some of my classmates in person, we are friends and each other’s support system.
The opportunities for group discussions via breakout rooms foster our relationships and encourage us to share our thoughts while getting to know our classmates. At times, our conversations feel as though we are talking in person. Ms. Salazar allows us to engage in real life topics that we are passionate about, from women equality to our thoughts on historical events. I am grateful for a classroom community where we can freely share our thoughts and feelings without judgment. Not only do we learn, we also have fun. Her way of teaching helps us develop interest in the topics being taught.
A student in class, Aiden H., shared, “Our humanities class is fun and interactive because of the way Ms. Salazar conducts them, and she lets the students work with preferred partners.”
She spent the time to pair each student up with his/her preferred partner, and other times, we work with randomly chosen partners to develop new friendships.
Beyond teaching us humanities, she takes interest in who we are individually. Her reminder stays with me: grades are not always the emphasis and it’s about learning and growing. We learn for the love of learning. Beyond teaching what’s in textbooks, she instills a growth mindset in us. It is absolutely the culture that Ms. Salazar has fostered since day one that makes this classroom, despite being online, so special for each and every student.
Listen to Katelyn read her article in the episode of Keepin' It Arcadia below!