My daughter started Kindergarten this year. While a lot of my friends with similar aged kids expressed concern about the remote learning environment many students were forced into, I had (and have) the general feeling that kids are resilient and ultimately they will be just fine. Perhaps that’s wishful thinking (or just my perpetual optimism?)

At any rate, I think there are some interesting perks included for our distance learning students. The one I’m specifically interested in sharing today is what I call “permission to mute.” As I observed my daughter in a Zoom class the other day, she muted herself so that she could blurt out possible answers to the teachers’ questions. When I asked her if she was doing what the teacher asked, she just said “it’s ok, mom…I’m on mute.” 

This made me pause. I began to think and reflect on my own student experience: I was the student who wanted to say the right thing, have the right answer, and be seen as “smart.” Because of that, I rarely raised my hand for fear of being wrong. But how awesome is this simple mute button?! If I had classes on Zoom I too could have tried out answers in the moment without fear! And this makes me wonder: what is the mute button doing for our students? 

As a choir teacher running a rehearsal on Zoom, I often wonder what my students sound like. I’ve learned that I can correct a LOT of things when students are on mute. I can tell if a student is breathing well, if they have tension, if they are using proper jaw positioning, etc. But, I can’t hear their pitch unless I ask them to sing individually. And there are so many students who join choir because they love to sing but are terrified of singing a solo. So, maybe the “permission to mute” is just the tool? Perhaps this enables my students to sing their hearts out without fear of failure? Could it be helping them find more success? It’s an interesting thought. I’ll do some more research and let you know!