In the age of technology, it’s no surprise that students spend countless hours scrolling through their favorite social media apps. Instagram, once known for only memes, jokes and reels, now surprisingly, has class notes.
As teens turn to their phones for entertainment, some Steinbrenner teachers have decided to meet them right where they are, online.
Instead of fighting for attention against endless content and short attention spans, teachers are embracing the trend by creating their own classroom themed social media accounts. Whether they’re posting review slides, or even cracking a few jokes of their own, these teachers are using Instagram as a tool to help students stay engaged outside the classroom.
At Steinbrenner, AICE European History teacher Mrs. Anair, AP Psychology teacher Ms. Walsh, and AP Statistics teacher Mrs. Puskas run their Instagram accounts for their college-level courses.
AICE European History teacher Mrs. Anair gained over 300 followers on her account @history_extraordanair over a few months. Anair believes that even though social media doesn’t replace Canvas, it is an extra tool that can benefit students.
If one of Anair’s students is not on Instagram, they certainly won’t miss out on important material. “If students aren’t on social media, that’s fine. I post it also on Canvas so they can see the stuff there, but I just think it adds just an extra value,” said Mrs. Anair.
Handling social media accounts while grading assignments is no easy task, but Steinbrenner teachers like are willing to put in the extra effort and time if it benefits their students even the slightest bit. “It takes at least 3 hours a post,” said Mrs. Puskas.
Mrs. Anair posts class activities, notes, and reminders on her social media. Anair’s AICE European History student Zurymar Perez Vera recognizes how helpful the Instagram account is. “Mrs. Anair’s Instagram benefits me by setting reminders for upcoming deadlines and topics,” said Perez Vera.
Mrs. Puskas, running her Instagram account puskas_apstat often posts seasonal mathematical content to lighten the stressful AP Statistics environment.
Puskas got the idea of starting an Instagram account after coming across a research study. “I read about micro learning, and micro learning happened a lot in COVID,” said Puskas. “[information] was in little bursts on social media, like really small pieces. And I was like, ‘I can do that with Stat, this is fun.’”
Ms. Walsh’s Instagram page, walsh_appsych has over 990 followers, which is a total of current and past students, parents, and many students who don’t even take psychology.
Contrary to the popular belief that adults discourage social media use, Walsh promotes it and grades students to make Instagram accounts for her popular assignments ‘Hippo-on-campus’ and Sock Babies. “Kids are using social media anyways, and I think if you can harness it, that energy for something academic, something fun, I think it kind of brings in an element of fun into the classroom,” said Walsh.
Many students shared that they appreciate the social media efforts made by their teachers and would without a doubt urge them to continue posting new things.
Be it on stories, posts, or reels, Steinbrenner teachers have made it their mission to provide the most help and support to their students, even if that means creating social media accounts and following trends.
