Teacher is booted off virtual learning session and the kids’ reactions are priceless
Michelle Westmoreland was reading to her students when she was logged off.
As some schools dive into e-learning amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, a North Carolina teacher is sharing what happened behind the scenes after she was kicked out of her own, virtual classroom.
Michelle Westmoreland, an educator at Mount Olive Elementary School in King, North Carolina, was reading a story to 17 second graders on Aug. 26 when she was booted from Google Meet.
It only took her two minutes to log back on. All the kids were still there, and it was business as usual, she told "Good Morning America."
"I'm frantic, trying to get back in the meeting and I had no idea they were all still connected and having these wonderful conversations," Westmoreland said. "They were so engaged, concerned and waiting on me to come back. I'm very proud and impressed."
Westmoreland said her district recommends recording virtual learning sessions in case some students can't make the meeting, or need to re-watch.
In the video, the children ask each other if they should log off and come to the conclusion that their teacher was only halfway done with her lesson.
When Westmoreland watched the class session, she wanted to share with parents and fellow teachers.
Jordan Edmonds, mom to 8-year-old Jett Edmonds, said she enjoyed seeing the kids' priceless reactions.
"My first thought was, 'They did a really good job with that,'" Edmonds, a teacher, told "GMA." "They were trying to problem solve and were so well-behaved and respectful of each other. I thought it was really neat."
Westmoreland said it was likely that WiFi issues kicked her offline that day and things have continued to run smoothly since.