Silence fills the classroom as students diligently work through a math problem. The teacher grabs a cup of popsicle sticks and draws a student’s name, and a hushed chorus of “yes!” and “knew it!” follows a correct answer.
This sounds like a typical classroom, but not quite. It’s online school, where the teacher is leading a group of students, all on camera.
Classroom discussions, activities, and group projects are a regular part of online learning, even if they look a bit different from what you might expect. This challenges a common myth: that online learning is passive and disconnected. In fact, that’s far from reality at K12-powered online schools like West Virginia Virtual Academy (WVVA), where teachers receive specialized training on how to engage students in this unique environment. In fact, many virtual programs like K12 take intentional steps to ensure their teachers foster excitement and participation in the virtual classroom.
A key tool for teachers in a virtual setting is edutainment, an approach to delivering content that’s both educational and compelling. While many have spent years—even decades—teaching in traditional settings, delivering this kind of experience in a virtual environment requires a different skill set.
First, there are visual and auditory elements: a microphone that delivers crisp, clear sound, and a background that is well-lit and clean but still reflects the teacher’s personality. Just as in-person classrooms reflect a teacher’s passions—with common displays showcasing their alma mater, hobbies, or favorite quotes—K12 teachers’ home offices do the same. Where one K12 teacher displays her collection of Barbie dolls, even drawing them into lessons on occasion, another might work from his screened porch, with peaceful scenery as the backdrop.
These foundational elements set the stage for the teacher’s presentation and enable students to read facial expressions, tone, energy, and body language. Together, these details build a tangible presence that fosters trust, conveys empathy, and prevents disengagement.
The next step requires reimagining a traditional classroom lesson so that it captures students’ attention through the screen. Simple slide presentations become opportunities for quick-think challenges and critical thinking exercises. In a waterfall challenge, students type an answer to a question in the class chat, and after a “1 … 2 … 3 … Go!” everyone hits send at the same time, creating a cascade effect. Meanwhile, teachers find inventive ways to randomly call on students during lessons, like drawing names from a cup or using the “popcorn” method, where a student who is reading aloud or answering a question then “pops” the next turn to a classmate of their choice.
And then there are the remarkably creative teachers at WVVA like Ashley Bell (2nd Grade) who has brought a high level of creativity into her classroom through interactive slides and her use of a “dojo wheel” for behavior and engagement. Her approach has not only increased student participation but has also influenced other teachers to incorporate proactive, evidence-based approaches focused on teaching expected behaviors, reinforcing positive actions, and creating structured environments to reduce disruptive behavior and increase academics more effectively in other classrooms.
Others, like WVVA teacher Carrie Lake (5th Grade), design highly engaging, innovative lessons, especially within the K12 platform, that make learning interactive and meaningful for students. Her work shows how thoughtful lessons designed in a virtual setting can significantly increase student engagement and understanding.
Brianna Lester and Shelby Gianni (3rd Grade Co-Teaching Team) model what strong co-teaching can look like in a virtual setting at WVVA. Their collaboration ensures both general education and special education students receive meaningful, well-supported instruction.
Beyond lessons and homework, strong relationships between families and teachers are often cited as an added benefit of virtual school. Despite connecting virtually, online teachers meet students where they are—seeing them within their environments and interacting with their families daily.
Together, teachers and families work to support their students and build meaningful bonds that often extend past graduation. K12 teachers have shared personal experiences that reflect this—one recalling being embraced and thanked by a mother for all she’d done to support her son to graduation. Another shared how she’d been invited by a K12 family to attend her student’s adoption ceremony. Stories like these prove that virtual doesn’t mean impersonal.
While the focus tends to be on the modality when discussing online school, it’s really the teachers who deserve to be highlighted. May 4-8, we celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week—a time dedicated to expressing gratitude for the educators who show up for their students in unique, creative, and compassionate ways. For families who choose online learning, those extra, intentional efforts—like creating a strong on-camera presence and delivering content in engaging ways—bring energy and excitement that can spark a love for learning.
