Built for Every Learner

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Every student has the right to a safe education that meets their needs and sets them up to succeed. For some students, that place is not a traditional classroom. Whether a student is carrying a label of anxiety, autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or struggling with behavior every student has unique needs which need to be met. This need goes beyond the labels and deserves an education built around them. Some students do better in a focused virtual environment away from classroom disruptions where they can work at their own pace. 

 

I believe a virtual teacher should be a mentor and a cheerleader, not a keeper of knowledge. Students don’t need someone to talk at them but to talk with them. A virtual teacher should walk with the student as a guide and learn about them as individuals to make intentional educational decisions that shape their learning experience. This connection drives the learning environment where students thrive and are able to jump into the opportunities ahead of them on their path.

 

Every student has the right to learn, but they cannot do that if they cannot access the content to begin with. Jaeger confirms that "the abilities both to successfully access and to successfully use the Internet are human rights.” In order to set up this environment the instructor is responsible for the overall accessibility of the course. This is not just completing a checklist, rather a mindset shift. While the changes might look small they can be the difference between a student having access or not. In online learning a teacher should be adapting the learning to meet the needs of an individual to ensure they have equitable access to education with accessible technology, tools, and resources. 

 

I believe school is not just about what a student learns in math class, it is about preparing them for the world outside of the classroom. Time management, perseverance, and organization are just as important as any academic skill, but they are often overshadowed by content. The virtual environment changes this. When students are placed in an environment where they are in control of their own education, students do not only learn about soft skills but have the opportunity to apply them daily. This is not a task that students should take on independently but rather with the support of a mentor who guides them through their learning experience. Students are free to make mistakes in this safe environment where they can be successful both academically and in the area of soft skills. 

 

Every student is unique and brings their own talents to the classroom, yet we often ask them to learn information the same way and show what they know the same way. This is one of the great contradictions that occurs in education. This is a problem that personalized learning can solve. Quality Matters recognizes that a quality course “allows for customization and personalization” because no two learners are the same. In the virtual environment this means providing students with choices and authentic opportunities to learn and demonstrate their understanding. This will look different for every student. Throughout their learning virtual learning gives students the opportunity to embrace this independence and grow both academically and as individuals. 

 

I believe an intentional community is not only possible in an online learning environment but is a necessary requirement. An online community is created when students engage in an online learning environment both academically and for extracurricular purposes. While this should start with a mentor relationship, peer relationships are equally valued. Only through humanizing the environment a classroom community flourishes and succeeds. I have seen students open up on field trips, during hands-on science labs, and game days. Even virtually students are able to build community through discussing their interests, gathering for social meets, or collaborating on projects. While it looks different, online learning should create an environment which feels welcoming to each and every student.

 

Family stands as a crucial partner in online education. The learning community consists of more than just students and teachers. In the virtual environment students are physically at home even while in a synchronous session with their teacher, which opens the door for more parent involvement in their child’s education. This ultimately leads to a more unified approach between teachers and parents. Students need someone who can be there to encourage, help identify struggles, or assist when learning gets tough. A teacher can not easily look over a shoulder to see if a student is struggling in the moment, which places more of this responsibility on the student and their family. Together a teacher and a family create a team that surrounds a student and walks with them toward success. 

 

I have seen online teaching change from a panic response to the Covid-19 shutdown into a program aimed at meeting student needs. I have seen students go from failing to thriving and from back to back suspensions to finding academic success. This is what intentional virtual learning can do. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) reminds us that “the goal of UDL is learner agency”, and this can become a reality in the virtual environment. Through intentional teacher decisions and actions, education can be tailored to meet the needs of all students. As I learn and grow as an educator I will continue to learn ways to support each student both academically and socially. Looking at my practice I am seeing how an increase in accessibility can help all students be more successful. As I still have room to grow in this area I have increased my awareness of this need and am looking for ways to improve accessibility for my students. Every student deserves an educational experience that meets their needs, and for some students that is virtual learning. As a virtual teacher I will continue to meet students where they are at and walk with them along their journey to success.

 

While all ideas and writing are my own I did use chat GPT for brainstorming and refining ideas and Claude by anthropic for revising. 

 

CAST. (n.d.). The UDL guidelines. cast.org. https://udlguidelines.cast.org/ 

 

Jaeger, P. T. (2015). Disability, human rights, and social justice: The ongoing struggle for online accessibility and equality. https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v20i9.6164 

 

Morris, S. M., & Stommel, J. (2018). An urgency of teachers: The work of critical digital pedagogy. Pressbooks.  

 

Quality Matters. (2025). Specific review standards from the QM K-12 Rubric. Sixth Edition. https://qualitymatters.org/sites/default/files/PDFs/StandardsFromTheQMK-12RubricSixthEdition.pdf