This is my report.
At 7:55 a.m. I entered my school building through a less-used side door and went directly to my classroom, avoiding human interaction, but seeing from a distance four colleagues walking towards the auditorium for the opening meeting. None of them wore masks.
I attended the district welcome via Zoom in the seclusion of Room #408.
The presenters had some technology missteps, which we must accept as given. COVID has taught us to move slowly, one-way, through grocery stores without blasting past contemplative shoppers blocking the aisle. We can be patient with colleagues as they maneuver the complexities of presenting live and via ZOOM simultaneously. (We will all be asked to perform this juggling feat next week!)
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In my classroom, I've created a physical barrier of three short bookshelves and a music stand to delineate "student space" from "teacher space." It looks silly, but if I do not firmly establish a six-foot distancing rule with my students, I will end up having to quarantine for two weeks if any of them get sick (which they will).
I wore my facemask and faceshield even when alone in my room today to build my stamina and familiarity with these layers of protection. I do get a glare off my shield.
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Then at 10 a.m., a student stopped by to return the yearbook camera he'd used during the summer softball season.
Suddenly my best-laid plans gang aft agley: the student jauntily walked right through my barriers, handed me the camera bag, then tried to thrust his computer into my hands and asked me to help him with the "admin password required" to download the app he needed for an online college class.
My classroom organizational style of past years is 100% shared space. "My room" is "our room" and my students (normally) are free to move about at their discretion. Under non-COVID conditions, I would happily grab his laptop and work my tech magic.
So when instead I barked, "WAIT! You need to stay outside of the barrier!" my dear student was at once confused, embarrassed, and maybe a little ticked off.
Who could blame him?
I'd changed all the rules of Room #408, without warning.
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In truth, I am thankful for this awkward preview of what will come at me times 100 on Monday. I told the student I was glad he had given me this painful/awkward practice run. He knows me well enough to know that even my most awkward teaching moments are fueled by good intentions.
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In the afternoon we had two meetings with our building staff in the wide-open space of the comments area. At the first meeting, I'd guess 75% were wearing masks. The second time we gathered, I saw only two colleagues without them.
I hope this means that as staff sees others masked, they will feel encouraged to do likewise.
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This morning my dad was assisted by the Friendship Haven tech team to fix his ZOOM camera. Success! Although my parents have seen me as we've ZOOMed these past three weeks, I hadn't seen them.
So tonight when we ZOOMed for a bit of Bridge, I got to see their smiling faces--and their much needed haircuts!
Enough.
Be well.
Write.
Allison
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| Haircuts for all of us! |
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