How The Coronavirus Disrupted My School Year
One of my favorite teacher authors to learn from is Kelly Gallagher. He's a thoughtful, relevant, and gifted writing teacher. He has graciously shared his Coronavirus lesson plans with teachers. Since I am not currently teaching writing, I have decided to use his prompts to write about this unprecedented time in history. I wish I had done this when I was teaching during Hurricane Katrina! The memories I have from that time period should have been captured.
I'll start with how this virus has disrupted my school year.
Truly, I avoid watching the news because it brings my mood down. I watch for the weather forecast and then turn it off, but I was aware there was a virus in China and it was killing people. I caught a few clips of how it spread in the past couple of weeks, but wasn't truly concerned until last week. And then, I thought, that we would cancel school for a week, at most, and that the cancellation wouldn't happen until this week at least. Well, Friday, March 13 rocked my little world. We went from talking about hypothetical at the beginning of the day to being told to send students home with supplies they would need for four weeks. Four weeks. It was surreal and it still is. However, we roll with what we can do and do not worry about what we cannot control.
We did not send our students home with their ChromeBooks (CBs). By Monday evening, the principals had had meetings with the Superintendent of the Diocese and were implementing plans. An all-call went out to the middle school teachers to help cut the power chargers out of the CB carts so students would be able to pick them up the next day because the school had to be shut down by Wednesday and no one could return until April 14. So, I arrived and helped other teachers cut the zip ties that our tech team took a long time to install. A few scrapes and cuts later, we were done. The carts were brought downstairs and lined up in the lower school hallway. Silent sentinels ready to share so that learning could continue.
Tuesday afternoon arrived and the CB drive through pick up began. For three hours, teachers withstood the hot wind, then pouring showers, then cool wind, then drizzling rain until every CB was given to grades 7 and 8 and most of the 4-6th graders. Some had CBs at home, but the 7/8th grade team needed the students to use specific apps that were installed.
Wednesday morning our middle school teachers, counselor, ministry leader, and assistant principal of curriculum all used Zoom to hold our first online meeting. It was well presented and we could experience the use of Zoom as participants before diving in and deciding if we would use it, Hangouts, Meet, Screencastify, or other options like Loom to deliver our curriculum to students. The plan laid out was sound and relevant. We would continue to nurture our students' learning and help them have a sense of normalcy during this time period. Concerns from teacher parents of little ones were addressed and everyone had a way to make this work. We would teach the entire grade level during a one hour block. It would give structure students and teachers crave. I'm lucky because my 7th grade students were at the end of a unit and about to start poetry. My 8th grade students were finishing the first part of a Historical Fiction project, and their deadline was extended by a week so they could finish. The quarter was to end on Tuesday, but was extended to next Tuesday for grading purposes. We used this week as a "spring break" and many are saddened that we will sacrifice our usual week off after Easter, but what is one week in the grand scheme of things? So I will begin poetry with the 8th grade students as well since we did not get to cover this unit last year. The blessing of teaching the same students two years in a row! I quickly set up Zoom meetings to test the tech with each grade level and posted to Classroom.
Today arrived and I met virtually with the 8th graders today. Many checked in and we did a pet show and tell, an idea shared online by teachers. Not perfect, but we are all still learning. It was so good to see their faces! Another teacher joined us during the end of the call. It's wonderful that we can have a whole grade level on at one time, but also a bit of a management issue because I cannot see everyone's faces all the time. I'll get better at changing screens soon.
I have another meeting scheduled in the morning with the 7th graders. I'm looking forward to seeing them so much! "Classes" begin on Monday during our scheduled time. Some students were a bit hesitant today about having to sit through an 8 am -3 pm class schedule, but they have options. They can watch a recorded video of the live session later in the day or week and have flexibility with their attendance, just not the work. It's due each Monday. So, my students are now learning like I did in college. Hard due dates with flexible learning options. Isn't tech great?!
As far as home life goes, I'm still grading previous assignments due to a DC/NYC trip with the 8th graders and a Mardi Gras break. I'm able to pray a daily rosary with my boys and plan to attend a virtual conference that starts tomorrow. I am able to spend time with my husband that we didn't have last year when he faced cancer treatments out of town. I am able to clean the house, but who am I kidding? I spend that time lesson planning, watching TV, cooking, or listening to music. I'm having to guard the pantry from hungry boys and I feel like my mother (who was born during the Great Depression) when she would feed us certain meals and say, "This is it. Eat it or not." I am able to actually sit on my back patio and feel the sun on my face. I am truly blessed to be able to do this. A simple life that's not so simple. A back to basics kind of feel. Gratitude is my attitude!
I'll start with how this virus has disrupted my school year.
Truly, I avoid watching the news because it brings my mood down. I watch for the weather forecast and then turn it off, but I was aware there was a virus in China and it was killing people. I caught a few clips of how it spread in the past couple of weeks, but wasn't truly concerned until last week. And then, I thought, that we would cancel school for a week, at most, and that the cancellation wouldn't happen until this week at least. Well, Friday, March 13 rocked my little world. We went from talking about hypothetical at the beginning of the day to being told to send students home with supplies they would need for four weeks. Four weeks. It was surreal and it still is. However, we roll with what we can do and do not worry about what we cannot control.
We did not send our students home with their ChromeBooks (CBs). By Monday evening, the principals had had meetings with the Superintendent of the Diocese and were implementing plans. An all-call went out to the middle school teachers to help cut the power chargers out of the CB carts so students would be able to pick them up the next day because the school had to be shut down by Wednesday and no one could return until April 14. So, I arrived and helped other teachers cut the zip ties that our tech team took a long time to install. A few scrapes and cuts later, we were done. The carts were brought downstairs and lined up in the lower school hallway. Silent sentinels ready to share so that learning could continue.
Tuesday afternoon arrived and the CB drive through pick up began. For three hours, teachers withstood the hot wind, then pouring showers, then cool wind, then drizzling rain until every CB was given to grades 7 and 8 and most of the 4-6th graders. Some had CBs at home, but the 7/8th grade team needed the students to use specific apps that were installed.
Wednesday morning our middle school teachers, counselor, ministry leader, and assistant principal of curriculum all used Zoom to hold our first online meeting. It was well presented and we could experience the use of Zoom as participants before diving in and deciding if we would use it, Hangouts, Meet, Screencastify, or other options like Loom to deliver our curriculum to students. The plan laid out was sound and relevant. We would continue to nurture our students' learning and help them have a sense of normalcy during this time period. Concerns from teacher parents of little ones were addressed and everyone had a way to make this work. We would teach the entire grade level during a one hour block. It would give structure students and teachers crave. I'm lucky because my 7th grade students were at the end of a unit and about to start poetry. My 8th grade students were finishing the first part of a Historical Fiction project, and their deadline was extended by a week so they could finish. The quarter was to end on Tuesday, but was extended to next Tuesday for grading purposes. We used this week as a "spring break" and many are saddened that we will sacrifice our usual week off after Easter, but what is one week in the grand scheme of things? So I will begin poetry with the 8th grade students as well since we did not get to cover this unit last year. The blessing of teaching the same students two years in a row! I quickly set up Zoom meetings to test the tech with each grade level and posted to Classroom.
Today arrived and I met virtually with the 8th graders today. Many checked in and we did a pet show and tell, an idea shared online by teachers. Not perfect, but we are all still learning. It was so good to see their faces! Another teacher joined us during the end of the call. It's wonderful that we can have a whole grade level on at one time, but also a bit of a management issue because I cannot see everyone's faces all the time. I'll get better at changing screens soon.
I have another meeting scheduled in the morning with the 7th graders. I'm looking forward to seeing them so much! "Classes" begin on Monday during our scheduled time. Some students were a bit hesitant today about having to sit through an 8 am -3 pm class schedule, but they have options. They can watch a recorded video of the live session later in the day or week and have flexibility with their attendance, just not the work. It's due each Monday. So, my students are now learning like I did in college. Hard due dates with flexible learning options. Isn't tech great?!
As far as home life goes, I'm still grading previous assignments due to a DC/NYC trip with the 8th graders and a Mardi Gras break. I'm able to pray a daily rosary with my boys and plan to attend a virtual conference that starts tomorrow. I am able to spend time with my husband that we didn't have last year when he faced cancer treatments out of town. I am able to clean the house, but who am I kidding? I spend that time lesson planning, watching TV, cooking, or listening to music. I'm having to guard the pantry from hungry boys and I feel like my mother (who was born during the Great Depression) when she would feed us certain meals and say, "This is it. Eat it or not." I am able to actually sit on my back patio and feel the sun on my face. I am truly blessed to be able to do this. A simple life that's not so simple. A back to basics kind of feel. Gratitude is my attitude!
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