Ask any IB Biology student about their opinions on the course. Most would say it’s one of the most rigorous classes, containing a heavy workload and requiring a seemingly impossible amount of memorization. Now imagine not having your teacher in the room with you. That’s what Clinton’s current juniors are going through, having to learn from an online substitute teacher.
With Ms. Hamlani, the 11th-grade Biology teacher and prior 9th-grade Living Environment teacher, going on maternity leave on September 22, Clinton needed a quick temporary replacement. However, finding a qualified substitute for the IB Biology curriculum proved to be very challenging. Additionally, they could not advertise their need for a new IB biology teacher until right before she left due to restrictions surrounding maternity leave. So, when Clinton was able to find Dr. Jaszewski, with a PhD in Environmental and Biological Sciences, alongside multiple other science degrees, it seemed like the perfect solution. However, despite his qualifications, students and parents alike expressed immediate concern about the fact that Dr. Jaszewski would be teaching online through Zoom all the way from Poland, with Mr. Tabasso, the new IB Biology co-teacher, managing the in-person side of this new program.
Before Ms. Hamlani left, the students were left with a video from Mr. Tabasso, Ms. Hamlani, Ms. Carballo, Ms. Goett, and Mr. Levin. In this video, they tried to address some of the concerns students and parents might have had about who will be taking over and how the classes will run without Ms. Hamlani in the room. Clinton knows the IB Biology course is different and much more demanding than the regular New York State Regents curriculum. Because of this, the teachers and faculty knew they needed a teacher with the proper expertise, leading them to decide that the Lanterna teaching curriculum would be ideal.
Founded in Sweden, now with offices in the UK, Lanterna is an International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme teaching support curriculum. It provides both online and in-person teachers and tutors with qualifications in the IB course they are teaching, often meaning they scored a seven in that class’s IB exam.
The new Lanterna Teacher curriculum has been a significant adjustment for both Clinton staff and students. However, I was able to interview Dr. Jaszewski online, hoping to gain more insight into the experiences he has had with teaching online for the IB. With “over 14,000 hours of school and one-to-one teaching,” he seems very well-prepared. His past experiences boosted his “approach on how to address the particular students’ needs and adjust the learning process to larger classroom settings.” He has worked with students in “Sweden, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, Poland, China, Thailand, [and] Uganda,” as well as the US. Clearly, he is well-equipped to teach students from all over the world and understands the strict requirements of his job.
However, as many of us know from the 2020 online school experience, it can be very difficult for students to focus while learning from Zoom. One 11th-grade HL bio student, Luna Craemer, says that she feels it can be confusing or even boring at times because she is “just staring at a screen.” These feelings of boredom and distraction are not just feelings, though; they are backed up by research. One paper from the National University states that, “The lack of face-to-face interaction with peers and instructors can diminish the sense of community and support that is often found in traditional educational settings.” The online barrier between the students and the teacher can create a lack of connection to the teacher and often make it harder to stay focused throughout the period.
However, Clinton has been making a conscious effort to make sure the transition goes as smoothly as possible. Dr. Jaszewski, as well as the teacher in the classroom with the students, will do their best to keep everyone on task and focused, but a lot of it is up to the students. Ms. Goett, one of Clinton’s assistant principals who heads the science department, has made it clear that students have to put in what they want to get out. Meaning, they should be taking notes, studying, and reviewing class material on their own to make sure they fully grasp the content.
