Q: As I let students into my Zoom room, I hold my breath, hoping someone, anyone will turn their camera on and say hello. My district doesn’t require that kids’ cameras be on, but it’s so difficult for me to tell who is engaged and to connect with students when their cameras are off. I don’t want to give them a guilt trip, and I know this is more about me than it is about them, but I can’t help but be annoyed every day that I’m teaching to a bunch of unanimated squares. I don’t feel as positively toward the kids with cameras off, if I’m being completely honest. Is there anything I can do to get them to maybe, just maybe, turn their cameras on without turning it into a major issue or shaming anyone? And I don’t mean to be cynical, but don’t you think most kids aren’t in some horrible home situation but rather just don’t want to be on camera because then they can’t multitask? This is a really, really hard time for me, and I’m busting my butt to reach kids, and I just want some authentic interaction.

A: I completely understand why it’s disorienting and off-putting to teach kids you can’t see. But there are a million different reasons students might not want their cameras on. They might have to Zoom in from a bathroom because of space constraints. They might not want to gaze at themselves because they find it too distracting. They might worry about others judging them. They might be feeling peer pressure to keep their camera off, because they don’t want to be the only one who has it on. They might want to scroll through social media or text with friends or be able to walk around or crunch Doritos. They might be sitting in a car outside a parent’s workplace or connecting to WiFi outside a local library. There really is no way to know the reasons behind their behavior, which is why many educators have flagged cameras as an equity issue.

That said, you can still gently inquire about a child’s reasons for leaving their camera off. You might discover, for instance, that a child with divorced parents is comfortable being on camera when they’re at one parent’s house, but not at the other parent’s house, but have kept it off at all times to avoid questions. You might find out that a child is self-conscious, but actually wants to build their comfort with being on camera. In that case, you could take a scaffolded approach. Would they like to try turning their camera on at the beginning and end of class, for example, with a goal of steadily increasing the time they’re visible? Or perhaps they’d like to try keeping their forehead visible so that you know they’re present. If you give kids opportunities to teach classmates, that might build their empathy for you. They would gain a better understanding of how hard it is to talk to a room full of empty boxes. Or, if there are a few students in your class who you know don’t mind being on camera, you could ask them to keep theirs on to normalize the practice and encourage others to follow suit. Plenty of kids would like more active engagement with their classmates. Some kids won’t turn on their camera but will engage using the chat feature, and some might be more attentive when they’re in smaller breakout rooms. If they’re not engaged in any way at all, use that as an excuse to check in with them and see if they’re OK or need extra support. As you know from your own experience, this isn’t an easy time for anyone. A student’s camera may be off, but that doesn’t mean they don’t want to connect with you.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Phyllis L. Fagell

Phyllis L. Fagell is the school counselor at Landon School in Washington, D.C., a therapist at the Chrysalis Group in Bethesda, Md., and the author of the Career Confidential blog. She is also the author of Middle School Matters and Middle School Superpowers, available at https://amzn.to/3Pw0pcu.