If you missed part 1, and care to read it, here it is. The short version of how things are running in my district is this:
I have some students that show up to the building Monday and Tuesday. I have other students who show up Thursday and Friday. I have other students who show up all four of those days. I have yet more students who don’t show up to the building at all. Then the fifth group is the people from the first three groups who get pulled for either having or being exposed to a COVID symptom at home (understandable), or get pulled in and out at random to go on vacation (less understandable).
The district’s directive was for me to somehow, someway, without any of the technology needed to have a chance at MAYBE doing a half decent job of this, teach all of those groups the exact same thing, at the exact same time.
Riiiiiiiight.
That was going rather poorly. The principals at the three middle schools in my district made a command decision to allow those of us who teach lab classes and PE to be asynchronous with the students at home, and focus our attention on the kids in the building. This is especially critical, because I only get them for a half hour a day, twice a week.
Things have gone much better since then. I’m still working harder than I ever have in my life making all the necessary demonstration videos and grading and emailing and whatnot, BUT at least things are working in the building and things are getting made. The kids are super happy to be here. I have not had one single behavioral issue. That part of my day is super pleasant.
Unfortunately those teaching core subjects are still being forced to attempt teaching to all groups simultaneously. I don’t really talk to anybody in the building these days, but my sense of things is that this is going about as well as one could expect ... not very well!
I do feel like I’m finally getting my sea-legs for the way hybrid is supposed to work for me. My 6th and 7th grade classes will rotate at the end of next week, and I’ll start those over with new groups of kids. I have laid-out a solid quarter-long plan for them. Much of the videos and leg work is already done for it, so my work-load should begin to resemble normalcy in the next few weeks.
NOT SO FAST! Word is the county health metrics have reached the level that will require us to switch to full remote next week. It’s not exactly a surprise, since they have been more than double that level in the actual town I teach in, for about three weeks. The district chose to ignore that, and use the county’s lower numbers.
That’s why I’m even taking the time to write this. Otherwise I would be busy readying things for next week, so I don’t have to do them at home this weekend. Since I don’t know what next weekend looks like ... not much point in that.
Balls.
Have some of my kid’s sidewalk chalk art, for your time.
