Teacher Guide

ESL Instructor Guide

This guide covers everything an online ESL instructor needs to run classes through Rising with Melodies — logging in, managing your student, scheduling, attendance, and messaging.

Already know the system? Use the one-page Quick-Reference Card instead.

1. Logging In

You'll log into the same admin system the organization uses, but your account is scoped to just what you need:

risingwithmelodies.org/school/admin.html

Go to the URL above.

Enter the email and password given to you by the admin.

Click Sign In.

Note: If you ever forget your password, use the "Forgot password?" link on the login screen, or contact the admin at risingwithmelodies@gmail.com.

2. What You'll See

Your account only shows the sections relevant to teaching — you won't see billing, enrollments, or other students' data. After logging in, you'll land directly on:

🌐 ESL Classes — your students, their schedules, and attendance/messaging
🔒 Security — where you can change your own password

If you ever see a red dot next to "ESL Classes" in the sidebar, that means you have an unread message from a student.

3. Managing Students

The ESL Classes page lists every student, their assigned instructor, schedule, and status — with a "🎥 Join" button when a Meet link is on file.

Adding a Student

Click + Add Student.

Fill in their first name (required), last name, location, and age.

If the student should have access to the Student Portal, set a Portal Login Code and a PIN (a simple 4-digit number works well). Share these with the student directly.

Click Save.

Tip: Editing a student later? Leave the PIN field blank to keep their existing PIN unchanged — it only updates if you type a new one.

The Manage Panel

Click Manage on a student's row to open their full session panel:

Instructor

Assign yourself (or another instructor) from the dropdown, sourced from the Volunteers list.

Google Meet Link

Paste your recurring Meet link here — see Section 5 for how to set one up properly.

Schedule Day / Time

Free text, e.g. "Tue & Thu" and "4:00 PM EST".

Session Notes

Internal notes visible to other admins — not shown to the student.

Click Save Session after making changes.

Logging Attendance

Still inside the Manage panel, scroll to Log Today's Class: pick the date, mark Attended Yes/No, add an optional note, and click + Log Class. It appears immediately in the Attendance History list below, and the student can see it too on their own portal.

4. Messaging Your Student

Every student has a private message thread with their instructor, visible inside the Manage panel under Messages.

Click Manage on the student's row.

Scroll down to the Messages section — any messages from the student appear here, and opening this panel marks them as read.

Type your message and click Send.

Tip: If you paste a link (like a Google Drive worksheet or a document URL), it automatically becomes clickable for the student — no need for a separate file upload system.

The student sees the same thread on their end at the Student Portal, with your name attached to each message.

5. Google Meet Setup

Students generally do not need a Google account to join a Meet call — they can join as a guest by typing their name, as long as the meeting isn't configured to require sign-in.

Option A: Use a shared room link (recommended)

Ready-to-use links are set up under the Rising with Melodies Google account, both required settings already correct (Access Type = Open, "Host must join before anyone else" = Off — see Option B below for what these mean). Pick whichever room is free at your class time and paste it into the student's Manage panel (Section 3) — no setup needed on your end.

Room 1: meet.google.com/uti-nzkz-pfv

Two classes, same time? Never share one room link across two classes happening at the same time — everyone would land in the same call. If Room 1 is already booked for your slot, ask the admin to set up an additional room (Room 2, Room 3, etc., following Option B) — it'll be added here once it exists.

Option B: Create your own link

If you need a new room (see above) or would rather have a separate, private link for your own class(es), set one up like this:

Go to meet.google.com and create a new meeting (or a recurring Calendar event with Meet attached).

Join the meeting once as the host.

Open Host controls — look for a shield/lock icon in the toolbar, or find it under the "Activities" (star) icon, the "More options" (⋮) menu, or the People panel's settings gear.

Two separate settings need to be correct — both are required, changing only one still leaves people stuck asking permission:

Access Type = Open. This lets anyone with the link join, not just people on a Calendar invite.
"Host must join before anyone else" = Off. Even with Access Type set to Open, leaving this toggle On still blocks students until you personally arrive first.

Paste this link into the student's Manage panel (Section 3) so it's saved for future classes.

Still asking for permission? Reopen Host controls and confirm both settings from Step 4 — Access Type showing "Open" AND "Host must join before anyone else" showing "Off." Missing either one alone will still block joins. Also confirm you're looking at the exact same link the student is using.

One-time setup: Both settings are per Meet link, not per session — set them once and they carry over for every future class using that same recurring link.

6. Changing Your Password

Go to 🔒 Security in the sidebar, enter your new password, and confirm. You'll use the new password the next time you log in.

7. Tips & Reminders

Log attendance right after each class while it's fresh — the student can see it immediately on their own portal.
Messages support pasted links (worksheets, Drive folders, articles) and they become clickable automatically.
Set Access Type to Open and turn off "Host must join before anyone else" on your Meet link once (Section 5) — both carry over for future classes using that same link.
If you ever can't access something you expect to, contact the admin — your account may need a role or permission adjustment.