Name: Liz Langs
Age: 33
Hometown: Grand Blanc, Michigan
Occupation: Owner and tutor, Traveling Tutors of Chattanooga
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Teaching is a hard job. Then, the coronavirus pandemic turned parents into pseudo-teachers; parents with full-time jobs - that weren't as teachers.
Liz Langs can relate on both counts. A trained teacher who spent seven years in the classroom, she now works with families in need of extra academic help. Three years ago, she started Traveling Tutors of Chattanooga, a "Best of the Best"-awarded program that marries hers and other certified teachers' in-classroom experience with the out-of-classroom help many students need.
As the pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the education system, parents' schedules and students' in-classroom experience, she's gearing up for an exceptionally busy year. Here, Langs explains how the health crisis has impacted her business, her clients and what led her to leave the classroom in the first place.
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* It's really challenging to balance working from home and trying to teach or hold your kid accountable.
* We would be coming in, say, after a reading lesson and make sure they understand it, work on the assignment together and get it submitted. I want to make sure since they aren't getting that one-on-one in-person instruction, we can be that missing piece.
* We're not going to come in and watch a kid do a Zoom call. That's not the most beneficial for them.
* ... A lot of families are wanting to share and do more of small-group instruction based on grade level. That's something I haven't pursued. Logistically it sounds tricky. A lot of what else we're seeing that we're not the best fit for is people wanting a combination nanny-and-tutor.
* I hired four people this week. We're all certified teachers in some capacity.
* I started on my own just tutoring and nannying, just trying to survive. I built the team based on what people were asking for.
Need help?
To learn more about Traveling Tutors of Chattanooga or inquire about services, visit travelingtutorsofchatt.com or call 423-380-8275.
* I'm looking for at least three years' teaching experience. I feel that's when you've really been exposed to enough students, gotten experience dealing with families and experience with curriculum. A lot [of us] have more experience than that.
* Teaching is such a stressful job but I'm getting the benefits of all the best parts without all the stress. I'm not being forced to fit into a box - this is the curriculum you need to use, the requirements you need to use, here's this from the state. I'm still using all my strengths and gifts, and my team is doing the same.
* I have always summarized the reason why I left the classroom is I felt this overwhelming sense of "not enough." I was always being asked to do more for the parents, more for the students, more for the school. I'm only one person but I was being asked to go beyond what I was capable of in a lot of instances. It got to be really depleting. It started to affect my own psyche.
* There are a lot of demands on teachers and you're hearing all the time, "What more can you do?"
* I felt unsupported, I felt like I wasn't heard. The families I'm talking to, that's kind of a theme in how they're feeling: unsupported by the schools. They're asking for help and not getting what they need.
* I think that helps me relate really well to the families I'm talking to. I think in a lot of ways, that's what sets me apart.
* It's been exciting to explore the other side of it as an outsider and hear what families are saying. If I were to go back to teaching, I would be a much stronger teacher because of that.
* I don't think people give kids and teens enough credit. A lot of kiddos are missing out on a lot of things - socially, emotionally. They're not getting the experience they need because they're choosing a virtual option. They're not getting to see their friends like they used to, they're not getting to see their teachers, they're not getting to do sports. This is their life in a bubble just like it is ours. They're dealing with it the best they can, but they can't process it like adults can.
* I don't think parents mean for this to happen, but I think in a lot of cases it's such a stressful time that the level of frustration with their child is going to be heightened. One of my fears is that parents are going to be upset if their child forgot to turn in an assignment or has been sitting for awhile and gets distracted and starts playing with a toy.
* My degree is in childhood development, so I'm a little swayed on this, but seeking out those moments where you see something positive and rewarding it and reinforcing it will go a long way. If you look for them, you will find them.
* I feel the biggest tip is just [show] grace. No one chose this. We're all just doing the best we can.
Langs' tips for parents
* Take brain breaks, allowing kids to get up and concentrate on moving instead of sitting still and trying to focus on studying for hours on end. “In the classroom, we did a brain break every 15 minutes. There’s a website I love called GoNoodle. It’s free and most students have probably used it in the classroom so it will probably look familiar to them. You can just press ‘play’ and spend 5 or 10 minutes moving your bodies.”* Set up a dedicated workspace, keeping in mind that kids aren’t as conditioned as adults to sitting in the same spot for a whole workday. “I have seen a lot of families say, ‘We have to have a desk, have a seat; make sure it feels like school.’ Students … might work best standing or with their belly on the floor or sitting on a bean bag chair, so having options for them is important. I don’t think it’s reasonable in the classroom or outside to expect a child to sit in one spot. They have too much energy.”* Especially for kids in younger grades, set up a schedule that uses images they can readily identify with tasks. “Students that young and really up through elementary [school] don’t have a concept of time and how long things take and what time things start … so if they can have a visual schedule that breaks their day down sequentially … just so they can check off and be more independent with their own learning, I think that could be really helpful for those younger students.”* When possible, work outdoors or use it as a break. “You’re taking out all those transitions in school — walking down the hallway to the gym, walking to the cafeteria. Changing that scenery is going to give them the sensory output to give them what they need to get through the day.”