It is no secret that the teaching platform I choose to use is the VIPKID platform. This blog post is really only relevant to you VIPKID teachers out there, whom are already teaching with that specific platform. This blog post is to help guide my fellow teachers through the student no show process. This post is not affiliated with VIPKID, and I am not representing VIPKID. Rather, I'm just opening dialogue about this SNS issue that happens to most VIPKID teachers, at one time or another.
So you woke up earlier than you even knew your body could handle (I'm talking 5 A.M. peeps), you drag yourself through the process of being presentable to other humans for the day. You pound that coffee, and you get your classroom materials together for your early morning lesson. The time ticks down, you get those pre-class jitters (even though you've taught before, so why are you still nervous?).
And then...
Class starts, and the student doesn't show up.
You've just been student no-showed. Welcome to the club!
So, what do you do if you have a student no-show situation on your tired hands?
Do you cut your losses and just leave class, and crawl back into bed?
Below are some must-do's, and some can-do's.
1) Determine the type of class you are teaching. Is it a 25 minute trial class, or a regular class? The type of class determines the length of time you must WAIT in class. If the lesson was meant to be a trial class, you need to wait in class for 15 minutes. If you leave before 15 minutes, you will not get the half-pay that VIPKID offers to teachers, for Trial Student-No-Shows. If you are teaching a regular class (ie, not a trial), you must WAIT in class for the entire length of the class. As long as you stay for the entire length of the class, you will receive your full base pay for that regular class.
2) Waiting class etiquette:
So what do you do with your tired self while waiting to see if your student will come to class late or not? Well, first, you must keep your camera on for the entire required wait time for your class-type (mentioned above). Do not turn your camera off.
Is it cool to mute your mic? Yes. But, keep that camera on. You want to be able to prove you were actually waiting in class the entire required time, if there is ever any confusion, so cameras on people.
Tired and bored while waiting? Remember, when the camera is on in the classroom, the firemen can see you. The classroom is recorded, so no nose-picking (ew, hopefully you don't do that anyway), or anything else you don't want VIPKID or parents to be able to playback. If you'd feel awkward having someone see you do it, then don't do it. Someone is always watching in the classroom, ha!
If you really don't want to just awkwardly sit there staring at the camera, you can cover the camera (as long as its on). Some folks use sticky notes. I've seen a lot of teachers (including myself), using DIY toilet paper roll camera covers.
When I opt to cover the camera, I always add a note in the chat box, letting the student know I am here. I don't think you have to, but I like to just in case.
3) Do I have to contact the firemen, as soon as there's a student no-show? You can, but you don't have to. I don't.
4) How do you make sure your wait time gets acknowledged? I've never had an issue with VIPKID accidentally marking that I didn't wait, when I did. However, to be safe, I take three screenshots, throughout the wait time. I screenshot to show I started class on time. I screenshot to show that I had the camera on and was still waiting halfway through the wait time. And finally, I screenshot after I've reached the required wait time, before I exit the classroom. When you exit the classroom before 25 minutes, for trial classes (because wait time on student no shows is 15 minutes for trials), a pop-up will ask you why you are leaving class. Select "other" and type in "Student no show," in the text box. Now you are free to leave the class.
5) If you have no other classes after this one, go find those jam jams, and crawl back into bed. Do you know how early it is?!
( #StudentNoShow #NiftyIdeas #ESL #TeachOnline #TeacherGillianG #Blog #VIPKIDNewbie #SNS #ILOVEVIPKID).
Comments