Our Community: Martin County teachers at home
Crystal Lake Elementary School fourth grader Micah Holland raises his hand during his daily online class.
Teaching couple captivates students with technology and creativity
Recently, I became famous among fourth graders from Crystal Lake Elementary School, when I was the guest speaker during a Zoom call with teacher Patrick Farley’s class. He interviewed me about the stories I am doing on my blog (like this one) where I cover good happenings in our community during the coronavirus. The kids were starting their own journals and Mr. Farley wanted me to talk a bit about my writing process.
Mr. Farley, who was in the running for Florida Teacher of the Year a couple of years ago, teaches the fourth grade gifted class at Crystal Lake and his wife, Joelle Farley, teaches art to the school’s 500 students on a rotating basis as one of the elective subjects.
(Because students may be reading this story, I will refer to them as they are known by their students, as Mr. Farley and Mrs. Farley.)
With the coronavirus changes, both have made drastic changes to their teaching styles, like all the other teachers across the country. They now teach out of their Palm City home via online technology. They haven’t done it kicking and screaming, grumbling the whole way. They have embraced the new opportunities, continuing to teach with excellence. The teaching duo has used this historic time to teach students (and themselves) that great things can come from tough circumstances.
A common challenge faces all of us who are working from home. “Schedules, boundaries, when does workday begin and when does it end?” Mr. Farley said. “Not just for teachers. There’s so much to process with being quarantined and trying to figure out what your job looks like right now. One minute it feels like one thing is the biggest challenge and the next it feels like it’s something else.”
Interview where photographer Diane Dultmeier becomes (briefly) famous with fourth graders from Crystal Lake Elementary School.
Right now, on weekdays starting around 7:00 a.m., Mr. and Mrs. Farley can be found working at their dining room table, him in a button-down shirt and tie, barefoot and wearing gym shorts, her wearing leggings and a nice top, barefoot too. For the first couple hours of the day, their 19-month-old son Bennett alternates between sitting with them at the table, playing on the porch or generally running around the house like the toddler that he is, then napping before Mrs. Farley drops him off at her mom’s house for the day.
For Mr. Farley, how he dresses is part of his teacher persona, so he dons the shirt and tie as he talks with his kids at their daily noon online class, or as he makes a video they will watch later.
“That’s what I always wear to work. I want to keep things normal for the students, even through all the changes. Every time they see me they have consistency and know ‘That’s what my teacher looks like.’”
Because students were so engaged during the interview with the Martin County celebrity photographer/writer (me), Mr. Farley invited more guest speakers to his class. One was Zach King, an internet celebrity with almost seven million Youtube followers.
“He talked about the creative process and inspired my students to make their own Zach King style videos. He ended up coming to our class because I heard he wanted to help teachers by appearing in their classes, so I filled out his online form and we were chosen,” Mr. Farley said. Watch one of his videos here to see his digital magic.
Teachers Patrick and Joelle Farley work at their dining room table as their son Bennett hangs out in his pajamas.
Videos have become an important part of the teaching arsenal for both Farleys. For simple presentations with a piece of paper and pencil, they might use an iphone in a holder with a flexible arm and a ringlite. They can aim their phones down toward the table top to record their hands as they teach. Both have spent money on new equipment for online teaching, but both had created Youtube channels before the pandemic. To ensure privacy for their students, most videos that involve students are set as “private” and can only be accessed by students, parents and their teacher. However, both Farleys post other videos for public access. In these cases, the parents signed special waivers for them to appear in those videos, and the student's’ real names are never used.
During a typical workday, Mrs. Farley might be found in the driveway creating a video for her Youtube channel, “Mrs. Farley’s Art Room.” Her latest video shows how to make a self portrait from things you find in nature. One of her most ambitious projects shows her making large-scale chalk art in her driveway. It’s not only that the projects themselves are creative and fun, but the way she filmed and edited them makes them exciting to watch. Plus you come away feeling like you could actually do a project like that.
It’s tough for kids to do their art projects from a distance, partly because many homes don’t have art supplies. Because of this, Mrs. Farley has come up with ideas using things kids probably have at home. One assignment, for example, was to make a color wheel of primary and complementary colors, using things from around the house, then take a photo of it and upload. Kids came up with lots of creative ways to show the color wheel, like using plastic yard toys or Hot Wheels cars.
During his workday, Mr. Farley might be found in his backyard shed, recording a green screen video about the difference between prose and poetry or sitting on the floor reading a book to his students, all recorded by his smartphone. He uses computer software to add in the backgrounds later. His Youtube channel, “Mr. Farley,” started more than a year ago, just for fun. Now he has added PE challenges and fun videos of some of the techniques he and the students learned during the interview with Zach King.
Mrs. Farley uses a ring light and a flexible arm to hold her smartphone while teaching drawing.
Mr. Farley encourages his students to create their own videos at home as a way to interact with each other and sometimes as homework. For example, Mr. Farley posted a video where he read the poem, “The Road Not Taken,” by Robert Frost.
“Students could then have fun with technology by responding in a creative way,” he said. “One created a funny character, which was part of her response to the poem.” The responses are posted on a private website, seen only by students and Mr. Farley.
Mr. Farley has taken things one thoughtful step at a time, so that he and his students could stay focused on teaching and make a smooth adjustment to the changes. At the beginning of this adventure, for example, kids were muted during Zoom calls, to cut down on the chaos. At that time, students could type into the chat area but only if it wasn’t a distraction. After a while, Mr. Farley enabled the students to talk on camera, but only by raising their hands and being called on by the teacher. After each day’s 45-minute class, Mr. Farley stays in the online “room” to be available for any student who needs to talk to him one-on-one.
“I definitely feel we have been doing meaningful work, not just busy work,” he said. “They’ve learned some things they maybe wouldn’t have learned in the classroom. They’ve learned to do things that probably 10 year olds wouldn’t have learned yet, like creating videos and uploading them to websites My kids have even learned how to build their own tripods. That’s where the creativity meets practicality.”
“This experience has definitely pushed my technological limits. It’s also forced me to use my creative side. When we get back in the school building next school year,” Mr. Farley said. “I will be equipped with a new set of skills and unique approaches that can be incorporated into the classroom.”
One parent, Jay Holland, whose son Micah is in Mr. Farley’s class, has been very happy with the way his son’s class has been handled during the disruption.
“We are incredibly grateful for his passion and work ethic. I doubt there’s anyone working any harder to make online learning engaging, interesting and fulfilling to their students. I am so glad he chose to invest his incredible passion and talents into teaching 10 year olds. They’ve had to create songs and other art projects and had guest speakers like a well-known magician.”
“I also appreciate that he does an exit ticket with them each day where they have the opportunity to tell him anything that’s on their mind,” Holland said.
“Parents have been super supportive and helpful during this whole experience,” Mr. Farley said. "I've been very impressed and proud of my students' attitude and work ethic."
“Our hope is that students and families feel a sense of closure and accomplishment going into the summer and disconnect from technology to some extent,” said Mr. Farley. “Plus, of course, that the coronavirus goes away and that we all spend some great times with our families.”
Click here to learn more about Diane Dultmeier’s community journalism.
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For 20+ years as a family portrait specialist on Florida’s Treasure Coast, I have been known for relaxed portrait sessions at locations around Stuart, Palm City, Hutchinson Island, Hobe Sound, Fort Pierce, Vero Beach and all areas in between. I am not like most photographers these days because I believe your family deserves to be celebrated each day, as part of your home decor. When you work with me, we will collaborate in creating Fine Art Portraits of your family, which will live on your walls or in a custom-designed album or folio box and be remembered as one of the best investments you have ever made. In addition to creating portraits for families, I create headshots and personal branding images for business use. To learn more, go the the Dultmeier Photography homepage.