Teaching Through the Screen: What Virtual Learning Taught Me About Assumptions, Connection, and Tone

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Teaching Through the Screen: What Virtual Learning Taught Me About Assumptions, Connection, and Tone

Virtual teaching changed the way I saw everything—from my students to myself. I brought my classroom routines, relationships, and high expectations into the digital space, but the screen revealed things I hadn't seen before. I got a glimpse into students’ homes and lives, and with that came a wake-up call about the assumptions I had been making. Assumptions that didn’t always hold up. 

In this short session, I will share a few honest stories from the virtual classroom - things that surprised me, what stretched me and what stayed with me long after the screen turned off. Because even in a digital setting, students still need to know we see them, believe in them, and are there for them—screen or no screen.

Because even in a world shaped by AI and tech, it’s still the human side of teaching that makes the lasting difference.

About Dr. Laurie Jones Curtis

Dr. Laurie Jones Curtis is a lifelong educator who believes that when we support teachers, we support everything that matters in education. With more than 40 years in the classroom and in teacher preparation, she has seen how connection, consistency, and compassion create the conditions where both students and teachers thrive.

Though her time teaching virtually was brief, it left a lasting impression—reshaping how she thought about assumptions, tone, and the need for authentic connection, even through a screen. That season deepened her belief that learning is always personal, and that strong relationships, high expectations and self-control - not programs make the real difference.
Laurie’s work today centers on sustaining the heart of teaching. She helps educators reconnect with their purpose, strengthen classroom culture, and make small, practical shifts that have a big impact. Whether online or in person, her message remains the same: students flourish when their teachers feel grounded, supported, and reminded that what they do matters.