The pandemic has caused a disruption in the classroom which has led to virtual learning all around the country.
Teachers have faced many challenges with the medium of virtual classrooms, but some have added much value to it with their own creativity.
Garett Talcott, a kindergarten teacher in Washington, has been taking his students on virtual field trips to the zoo and has become an internet sensation after a TikTok video of him went viral.
@vividmichaelField trip with the class to the zoo! #woodlandparkzoo #zoo #penguin #zookeeper #antarctic #arctic #seattle #fieldtrip #onlineclass #remoteteaching♬ original sound – Mr. Talcott
“We learn something new everyday friends,” Talcott, 31, tells his class of 28 remote learners through a laptop during a lesson on penguins at the Woodland Park Zoo near Seattle.
The clip that has got more than 800,000 views on TikTok, shows Talcott walking around the wildlife park, teaching his at-home pups about the natural habitats of exotic animals from around the world.
“This is a great trip,” one excited student barks in a second clip as Talcott digitally escorts the children from the tapir exhibit to the rhino’s nest to the orangutan’s lair.
@vividmichaelZoo field trip in <30 minutes 🐗🦏🦧❤️ #kindergarten #teacher #school #zoo #woodlandparkzoo #tapir #rhino #orangutan #seattle ♬ original sound – Mr. Talcott
Online users have appreciated Talcott’s creative approach at distance educating little ones, something teachers and parents have struggled with since the pandemic set in last March.
Talcott wrote under his video: “The students really loved it – it was a surprise and a shared interactive experience. In-person is ideal, but they loved it.”
@vividmichael Taking 28 students on a ride.. lol.. 🤢🤮😳❤️❤️❤️ #rollercoaster #teacher #school
Before this, Talcott took the little kids on a virtual roller coaster ride complete with crazy tilts, twists and turns to the amazement of the parents and children.
@vividmichael Students, you are the future of our world… and you matter. ❤️🌟