What is one thing that's working well in your role? What's one challenge? by Amanda Williamson

2025-08-22 17:49:51 UTC

Our team under Margaret's leadership does a great job of collaborating, staying connected as a team and working together to support all stakeholders for GaVS.

2025-08-22 17:53:36 UTC

One challenge student support encounters frequently is the lack of understanding parents and students have about homeschooling in Georgia and how GaVS may/may not fit into their educational plan.

2025-08-22 17:54:43 UTC

Some of Genius's software functions are not user friendly, and often feel like inspector Gadget when trying to locate information needed. For example, searching for a student doesn't always populate in a specific search under the quick find at the top and/or find user, but if I use the exact spelling, etc and look under the school affiliation (if I have it), the student will appear.

2025-08-22 17:57:13 UTC

Communication. Working closely with instructors, students (and guardians), and local school personnel requires a lot of communication. Our team has worked on fine tuning communication semester to semester and each semester I am more encouraged by the level of rapport built with the student & their families and the local school staff. I think our team of 4 also does a great job communicating and collaborating with each other too.

2025-08-22 17:57:30 UTC

Resources provided for parents, facilitators, and students are thorough and effective. From BossDesk to handbooks to resource pages, users have access to what they need when navigating GaVS platforms.

2025-08-22 17:58:45 UTC

Ability to access documents and resources on the GaVL Hub.

2025-08-22 18:03:23 UTC

Policy focus over a person. With the number of students served, I do think this is a small percentage; but any time there is an instance when an instructor leans in too rigidly to policy without acknowledging or slowing down to learn about the individual student's situation, I cringe. While having boundaries and policies are very important in online learning, remembering that we are working with teenagers and families who do have life (big and small things) come up and think about how we (or our children) would want to be treated in those instances can go a long way in peacefully resolving the issue and moving forward.

asherrie_yisrael — 2025-08-22 18:04:17 UTC

Our instruction team works closely with each other to make sure teachers feel supported, while also ensuring that our students receive quality instruction and a positive experience with GAVS. I am also grateful for the rapport that I have built with many teachers in the LA dept.

2025-08-22 18:05:32 UTC

The technology and software provided (ie O365, Canvas, Zoom) is top-notch. I appreciate the training provided so we can utilize them efficiently.

2025-08-22 18:07:38 UTC

The biggest challenge in our program is deterring, identifying, proving, and implementing consequences for cheating.

2025-08-22 18:09:14 UTC

I enjoy the people I work with.

2025-08-22 18:09:58 UTC

Having a wonderful team works extremely well!

2025-08-22 18:11:21 UTC

Our team is great with communication and responds quickly answering tickets and resolving issues. Margaret is a great leader!

2025-08-22 18:11:30 UTC

My team works very well together and jumps in to answer questions. Everyone works very hard, which I appreciate.

asherrie_yisrael — 2025-08-22 18:12:07 UTC

One challenge has been helping some teachers to see that AI can be extremely beneficial when used appropriately and that it's only unethical when misused.

2025-08-22 18:12:44 UTC

One challenge would be when Canvas does something weird, but luckily that doesn't happen too often.

2025-08-22 18:13:05 UTC

It can be challenging navigating the different rules each county has regarding the usage of GaVS and how the families just do not understand.

2025-08-22 18:14:00 UTC

It can be challenging trying to help students and parents understand the registration process as well as the course approval process. It can at times be time consuming helping them to understand these processes. Most districts are good about relaying information as others are not.

2025-08-22 18:15:38 UTC

It's difficult to sit at a computer for such long periods of time - mentally and physically. However, I'm not complaining. It has it's advantages too. I just have to be conscientious to stand up, stretch, and take breaks during the day. This is my own responsibility.

2025-08-22 18:16:53 UTC

The Boss help desk is amazing and efficient.

2025-08-22 18:22:20 UTC

Some counselors and home-school parents don't understand that CTAE is not a set of random courses but a set of pathways that have a sequence. With the sequence there comes an expectation that a student will have knowledge from previous courses that passes on to the next course. Many times the complaint "The teacher didn't teach us this!" is because the information came from another course in the sequence.

2025-08-22 18:25:05 UTC

Regarding assessment integrity, I’d like to suggest exploring the use of a Lockdown Browser, similar to what many colleges implement. While it’s not foolproof, it can be an effective tool in discouraging cheating and promoting a more secure testing environment.

sarah_newman — 2025-08-22 18:26:28 UTC

Communication with stakeholders outside of our organization and between colleagues internally. Our strong communication skills allow us to form strong relationships which pave the way for effective collaboration to positively impact the experience at GaVS.

2025-08-22 18:31:13 UTC

I appreciate that GAVS has clearly defined policies. They establish well-defined expectations for both students and parents, which supports a more structured and transparent learning environment.

kristenshepherd1 — 2025-08-22 18:32:16 UTC

Our team collaborates effectively and operates with a high level of efficiency. We take pride in our responsiveness to stakeholders and the quality of our work. We also feel well-supported by our supervisor and truly appreciate the positive changes she has championed for our program.

tomoko_frayer — 2025-08-22 18:33:50 UTC

One thing that is working well in my role is providing interactive opportunities such as cultural discussions, speaking and listening activities, and live learning sessions, which keep students engaged while practicing the language in authentic contexts.

tomoko_frayer — 2025-08-22 18:34:04 UTC

One challenge I face is supporting many students at different proficiency levels, especially when some rely on AI or outside resources instead of course material.

kristenshepherd1 — 2025-08-22 18:35:28 UTC

We frequently encounter challenges with both the SIS and LMS that can hinder our productivity. In many cases, we're required to wait on fixes from Genius before we can move forward with certain tasks. Additionally, communication with schools can be difficult when email addresses default to @gavs rather than the school's official domain. However, we’ve identified a communication workaround that has proven more effective than relying solely on direct emails.

2025-08-22 18:36:33 UTC

The new policy requiring a mandatory dropped grade raises concerns for me. With only four assessments in the course, eliminating one significantly impacts the overall evaluation. It also affects my decision to offer ELOs, knowing that one grade will ultimately be excluded. Additionally, I find it difficult not to be fully transparent with students about this change, as it influences how I communicate expectations and guide their learning experience.

sarah_newman — 2025-08-22 18:39:25 UTC

Ensuring our students, who cannot advocate for themselves, don't know how to advocate for themselves, or don't have a strong advocate for them, don't fall through the cracks. We are a very policy focused organization (which is not a bad thing!) but I worry that some students may not get opportunites that others have because of lack of advocacy for extensions, pace plan adjustments, or other opportunites. Some of our teachers are wonderful at finding these cases, but others are not.

2025-08-22 18:40:19 UTC

I think that since we have worked together for so long (3 of the 4 of us) that we know each other's strengths and weaknesses and collaborate to fill any gaps we find. We work almost seamlessly together and, through years of experience and collaboration, have come up with a very efficient and effective workflow to serve our students.

2025-08-22 18:48:17 UTC

I sometimes feel confined by policy or rather those that wish to impose the same policy in all situations. In my role, I live in the grey areas because it is the very nature of my job. I work to find ways for students in various circumstances and with various obstacles to learning to continue their education. That path may not look like many other students' educational path and we often need more flexibility in walking that path with the student. For example, late penalties are a huge issue that I spend much of my time working on because of the way our extended time on assignments policy is implemented as required by DOE legal. It isn't really addressing the needs and purpose of extended time on assignments as some of our students may need (such as students with ADHD who struggle with maintaining deadlines), but I do understand the need for it to be implemented in a way in which it is documented within the confines of our LMS. I just wish we could revisit that late penalty policy and have real, open discussion about why it may be harming more than helping. I love GAVS and am so proud to work for GAVS for so many reasons, but I don't love this policy.

2025-08-22 18:55:10 UTC

Communication and trust within our team. I can be a professional, but have the help as needed.

2025-08-22 18:58:15 UTC

Our team has developed a strong rhythm and works seamlessly with the other team in our department. Communication is consistent, and expectations for the year are clear.

2025-08-22 19:00:29 UTC

One challenge in my role is navigating some of the unknowns about the future direction of our department. Within our team, communication is strong and expectations are clear, but at times the communication between our department and others isn’t as consistent. This can make it harder to stay aligned on goals and projects. Strengthening those cross-department conversations would be a great opportunity to build on the strong collaboration we already have within our own team.

2025-08-22 19:14:11 UTC

Many times schools do not upload the most recent documentation. That means we don't have the current accommodations.

2025-08-22 19:25:52 UTC

The communication and collaboration within our team is strong. I feel connected and have the support, tools and resources I need to do my job well. I also appreciate the communication across teams as we all work together to support our students.

2025-08-22 19:27:45 UTC

Fantastic leadership!

2025-08-22 19:28:45 UTC

Accessibility hoops that can feel unnecessary for the large % of our students.

2025-08-22 19:33:26 UTC

Getting facilitators to use the resources available to them can be challenging at times.

2025-08-22 19:36:00 UTC

The synergy and collaboration within our team is out of bounds fantastic! We really work well together and we truly appreciate our supervisor's leadership skills.

2025-08-22 20:01:09 UTC

Keeping all of our courses updated to the newest standards of excellence in design, accessibility, and learning science. Our newest courses are most reflective of these best practice and we'd love to have such a high standard throughout our whole library.

2025-08-22 20:02:44 UTC

Getting facilitators to be more independent can be challenging.

2025-08-22 20:02:46 UTC

Good working relationship with all members of our team.

2025-08-22 20:03:30 UTC

We have an amazing and collaborative team that truly cares about leveling up the learning experience for students. We're not afraid to learn new skills and flex new muscles if it means making content better!

2025-08-22 20:03:35 UTC

Lack of collaboration or contact with some other teams on a regular basis.

2025-08-22 20:23:39 UTC

Teamwork is always top notch! I love that we fill in with our skillsets, or learn quickly, if needed to help out.

erinhill12 — 2025-08-22 20:29:19 UTC

My team does a phenomenal job of encouraging communication, collaboration, and teamwork within departments and between teachers who share students.

erinhill12 — 2025-08-22 20:33:35 UTC

AI has been a bit of a challenge - perhaps more so in our virtual environment than what f2f teachers are experiencing.

We have also had some challenges with both Canvas (blueprint and pace plan), and Genius.

Sra_Harris — 2025-08-22 20:39:32 UTC

I’m fortunate to work with amazing teams and colleagues who make collaboration enjoyable and productive.

Sra_Harris — 2025-08-22 20:41:30 UTC

One challenge is addressing the many AI related issues that have arisen in recent years.

2025-08-22 20:51:45 UTC

My coworkers are great! We collaborate and support each other throughout the day. It makes our days more interesting and efficient.

2025-08-22 20:52:40 UTC

Cooperation and collaboration between all departments of Georgia Virtual is excellent! Everyone works towards the betterment of our program!

2025-08-22 20:53:44 UTC

Parents and students not fully understanding that Georgia Virtual is a supplemental program versus a charter school.

2025-08-22 20:56:57 UTC

My current challenge is helping students who are all in different places in the course. I have students who are trying to figure out how to log in and navigate the course and others who has sped weeks to even months ahead and are asking questions about assignments and projects that are due in November. It takes a lot of my time and brain power to switch gears and help everyone when they are all in different places.

This does generally get easier as the semester progresses and schedules merge. It is a challenge during the first two months. However, this semester seems to be worse than semesters past as it seems I have more independent students who just want to race through the course.

ekroutil — 2025-08-22 21:13:58 UTC

I love our team and enjoy working with all departments - communication is easy and positive regardless of which department I'm working with. Our coaches are top-notch and always receive praise from the new teachers. I love working with them.

ekroutil — 2025-08-22 21:27:34 UTC

Sometimes it feels like we’re working in silos—one team gets information, but it doesn’t always make its way to others. I’d really like to improve how we communicate across teams. I’ve been thinking about ways to do this, and while I don’t have a perfect solution yet, I’ve noticed that some ASIs send weekly notes, and those updates can be really helpful. Maybe we could try something similar for non-instructional teams—a quick “FYI” that shares what we’re working on, recent wins, or challenges we’re facing. That way, other departments could reach out if they’re dealing with something similar or have already found a solution. I have a feeling we have more in common across our silos than we realize, and better communication could help us all work more efficiently and collaboratively.

2025-08-22 21:54:54 UTC

Love my team and our leader

2025-08-22 22:08:08 UTC

I'd like to have more of a connection to the big picture of what the overall goal and vision are for the program.

2025-08-24 17:20:23 UTC

Limited criteria in available in Genius to search for students i.e. DOB, GTID, etc. Adding/removing affiliations in Genius is time consuming when there are multiple affiliations. We should be able to make the role inactive and it automatically remove the affiliation.

2025-08-24 17:21:17 UTC

Communication from team and peers.

2025-08-25 03:32:46 UTC

Love working with everyone, in all departments. I greatly appreciate that should an issue arise, that different departments can jump in and help resolve the issue despite it may not be their specialty. The willingness to learn and help as well as communicate with each other.

2025-08-25 10:19:32 UTC

Great support from ILT/ASI! I appreciate the willingness to adapt policy (failure communication, live session requirements) as needed.

2025-08-25 10:26:40 UTC

Teachers could use some policy/administrative support in regards to AI policy and implementation (specifically, the incorrect use of AI). It's getting more and more prevalent and it's not going away. As has been discussed in Viva Engage recently, at times we act more as arbitrators than teachers and it does affect morale.