How Virtual Learning Strengthens Classrooms Amid Shortages

From Burnout to Balance: Tiffany Walden’s Journey

The national teacher shortage is no longer an abstract statistic. It’s a daily reality in schools across the country, leaving administrators scrambling to fill classrooms and forcing teachers to shoulder impossible workloads. For many, the stress has become unsustainable.

Tiffany Walden knows this all too well. A seasoned English teacher and school counselor, she once shouldered 80-hour workweeks in brick-and-mortar schools. The strain took a toll on her health and well-being, compounded by a preexisting autoimmune condition and the constant risk of exposure to illness. “No one can do that and survive,” she recalls. Eventually, she stepped away from education altogether, working outside the field while she regrouped.

That changed when Proximity Learning Inc. (PLI) reached out. The company offered Tiffany the chance to continue teaching, live, virtually, and without the crushing burdens that had driven her out of the profession. At first, she was skeptical. Could teaching through a screen feel authentic? But Tiffany took the leap.

The result was transformative. “I love it. It’s amazing,” she says. “I don’t have to worry about bringing home all the sickness every week and still powering through. It has just been a great fit.”

Today, Tiffany teaches English and serves as one of PLI’s first virtual school counselors through Lighthouse Virtual, dedicating hours each week to supporting students while maintaining a sustainable work-life balance.

Addressing the Teacher Shortage with Qualified Educators

As districts struggle with ever-increasing vacancies, many turn to emergency measures, waiving licensure requirements, hiring professionals from unrelated fields, or leaning on a patchwork of digital programs. While well-intentioned, these quick fixes often fail to provide students with consistent, high-quality instruction.

PLI takes a different approach. Teachers like Tiffany are required to be certified in the states where they teach, ensuring that students are learning from highly qualified professionals. For educators whose lives don’t fit into traditional school district models, PLI offers continuity and purpose. Tiffany’s experience teaching in different spaces, from brick-and-mortar to virtual, now enriches the classrooms she leads.

“For students who see teacher after teacher cycle through during the year, this is way more productive and engaging,” she explains. “The only difference is I’m not physically breathing the air that you are right now, but you better believe I am in that classroom.”

Creating Safe, Supportive Spaces for Learning

Tiffany is quick to note that live virtual teaching is nothing like the asynchronous “emergency remote learning” students experienced during the pandemic. Recording a video and hoping students watch it, she says, “is not teaching.” PLI’s model is interactive and accountable, with real-time communication and recordings available for review when needed.

Her strategies foster trust and participation. Using Zoom, she sets all student chat messages to come directly to her, giving students a private channel to ask questions without fear of judgment. “Every student has something they want to say, but many are afraid to ask because they think it might sound stupid,” she says. “If you’re thinking it, probably 30% of the room is thinking it too.” By keeping chats private and modeling openness, Tiffany builds confidence that translates into lively discussions.

The result? More participation than she ever saw in brick-and-mortar classrooms. By the end of the year, her students were so engaged that it was hard to quiet them down, her dream scenario as an English teacher, encouraging critical thinking and dialogue.

Measuring Success Beyond the Screen

For Tiffany, student success comes down to active engagement and accountability. In her English classes, she integrates individual assignments with collaborative projects, using shared live documents to encourage teamwork. Students not only complete their own tasks but also learn to give constructive feedback to peers. “They loved anything group-related,” she recalls. “They start calling each other out on mistakes, but in a way that helps everyone learn. That collaboration really boosted their success.”

She also customizes state benchmark assessments to align with the skills she emphasizes in class, ensuring that tests reflect actual learning rather than random benchmarks. Combined with her background in special education, this gives her the ability to adapt instruction in real time, even sending modified assignments mid-lesson to students who need additional support.

These practices don’t just prepare students for exams; they prepare them for life. Tiffany reminds students who resist group work or reading that these skills are unavoidable in adulthood. “Even if you’re a remote worker in the computer world, you are still at some point going to have to engage with a group as part of your work,” she tells them. “So letting us model that now is helpful for a lifetime of opportunities.”

Building Future-Minded Classrooms

At the heart of Tiffany’s story is a reminder that teaching is not just about delivering content, it’s about preparing students to navigate adulthood and an increasingly virtual world. Through live group discussions, collaborative projects, and personal accountability, she helps students develop communication, critical thinking, and adaptability.

For teachers, PLI offers something equally vital: a safe, supportive professional environment. By reducing the risks and stressors that push so many out of the profession, it enables educators like Tiffany to thrive, bringing stability and inspiration back into classrooms that need it most.

“I love Proximity,” she says simply. “It has just been a great fit.”

The teacher shortage doesn’t have to stand in the way of student success. With over 15 years of experience providing live, certified teachers in every subject, Proximity Learning helps districts keep classrooms engaged and supported. Discover how our virtual teaching solutions can bring stability, equity, and real-time learning to your schools. Learn more about partnering with Proximity Learning today.