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Catch Up Post

I found I liked teaching during the pandemic because it forced me to cultivate connections with students via a technology medium. I chose poetry lessons that were quirky, fun, moving, and emotional. We all needed to process our emotions and what better way than poetry?! The students were amazing troopers and said they were glad to have something to focus on (since I'm hard core according to a few). Even when they returned to school in the fall, all masked up, on alternating day schedules with no movement from room to room (teachers moved that fall), we still had connection and forged new ones. It was hard but do-able.  Those 7th and 8th grade students of March-May 2020 included my youngest son. We returned from the 8th grade pilgrimage to DC and NYC the week before the school and world shut down on March 13, 2020. We were told two weeks would be all that we needed off--we all know how that went. He did have an 8th grade promotion to high school event. I cannot call it a graduation.
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Week 5 during a Pandemic

If you know me, you know that to disconnect from my school work is hard.  Yet, I did.  Boundaries, right?  I need balance.  I met virtually with a colleague to make sure all concerns were addressed and assessed.  I enjoyed a Seder meal with family.  I shut down my computer, Chromebook, and laptop last Tuesday evening after addressing all turned in work.  I literally packed them away.  Out of sight and out of temptation.  Wednesday dawned with a virtual prayer group meeting, our second as a group.  It was good.  As a family, we had a holier week than we had had in a while: a family Seder, Holy Thursday virtual services, Good Friday with a family watching of The Passion and the Divine Mercy Novena begun, Saturday evening bunny gifts, and Easter Mass.  All without the fuss of public expectation.  Simple, humble adoration.  Easter dinner was a simple home-cooked meal.  The best kind with all the nuclear family at home.  Missing extended family was looped in via FaceTime.  Monday
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Poetry in the Pandemic

Today kicks off National Poetry Month!  YAY!  I am so ready to flex my virtual poetry muscles.  They're tight, they're rough, and they're not ready, but I am!  Instead of posting daily, I'm creating a Google Site to host my poems as I draft them using past 30 DPC Facebook and Ethical ELA poetry prompts.  So enjoy my fledgling attempts at poetry here !  This site does not include the prompts , just my poems. 
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Week 1 of Virtual Learning

It's Saturday again and the pandemic is spreading.  This week was good but also tough.  I was so tired of technology by Tuesday afternoon, that mowing the yard was appealing.  I was not in balance and needed to get outside.  Learning new software (Zoom and Loom) and re-learning software I had not used since Greg had cancer (Screencastify because Loom and I did not get along) was a bit frustrating.  My videos were not my best, but they were real.  I made many mistakes and begged forgiveness from my students.  Google Hangouts were good!  Community building!  Students could help each other.  We made it through!  The grading period ended Tuesday and grades were due Thursday.  I was non-stop grading when I wasn't recording lessons.  I didn't leave my computer except to mow the yard Tuesday and take a walk Wednesday.  I would have declared Thursday and Friday tech-free days, but I had office hours and a few grading issues to resolve.  We had an earlier rosary than usual to unit
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Lesson Planning during COVID-19

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It's Saturday and I'm tired of being on the computer, laptop, and Chromebook.  Yes, I use all three.  Each has an advantage and a disadvantage.  While I am tired, I know I have accomplished quite a bit for my students.  I have created and posted lesson plans until May 1. Why May 1 when we should return to school on April 14?  Because I want my students to know I'm not going to suddenly shift gears on them when we return.  That would be jarring for all of us.  This way they can have a glimpse into the future, and, if we are kept away longer, then at least they know that it's already been planned for and they're ready for it.  (Technically, I have lessons planned until the end, but no need to alarm anyone yet, right?) Here are some pics of the new reality for student lesson plan overview: Making learning visually appealing by using file templates: Daily Overview Make learning visually appealing by using file templates: Week at a Glance Calendar
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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, Fri
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Use Anonymous option to post

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Hey guys and gals, Use the Anonymous option to post your comments. School Google account is blocked. Since your names are included, include whose comment you are responding to. Further, respond only to those comments with names and try to find people with no comments to respond to. Finally, I extended the due date to Thursday since so many waited until the last minute to do this assignment.  I will probably stop moderating between 10-11 pm when my husband’s chemo bag aka “the red devil” is switched out for a different chemo drug. I’ll resume in the morning and throughout the day tomorrow. See you all next week! Mrs. Chiasson My PJs chai latte keeps me awake!  Yes, I realize that you’re commenting on people’s addiction to caffeine...  Let’s just call this situational irony for now.
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