Day #163 Writing Through COVID-19: The Honeymoon

There is a honeymoon phase of teaching at the beginning of each new year. Students are settling in. As they grow more comfortable and confident, their personalities peek out. As a class, we're easing into some shared humor. Students are working hard. Attendance is nearly perfect. We're building energy. 

Who wouldn't love teaching in this atmosphere?
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Today my broadcasting class experimented with creating a new intro to our news show using Zoom to match the COVID feel of our year. 

One of the AHS Journalism values is "Celebrate good tries, even if we fail." 

That pretty much sums up our attempt today. Our concept (a "Brady Bunch" opening of the team, followed by closeups of the producer, anchors, and video tech) failed miserably on our first try. But the laughter and goodwill outweighed the frustrations, and by the end of the hour we had worked out several bugs: Hold your computer steady! Remember to unmute yourself! Does the group wave look too cheesy? 

Tomorrow they'll come "looking pretty" for our actual filming. 

Editing classes are all about collaboration, interpersonal skills, and building confidence in oneself and in one's teammates. In other words, Editing is Life Skills 101.

"Eye of the Needle" team working on our intro. 

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Another teacher in our building is out for quarantine. A neighboring community's varsity volleyball squad is quarantined after sitting together to cheer on the JV squad scrimmage. 

While our numbers in Cass County remain relatively low (107 cases; 6% positivity for the past 14-day rolling average), I can't help but see potential for virus spread at every turn. 

Consider this photo of students on the first day of school:

Remember, our school board declined to mandate masks and instead voted on wording to "expect masks when social-distancing cannot be achieved." Board members who spoke out against mandatory masks said they were confident most students would mask up voluntarily. 

Hmmmmm.
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Back to my classroom.

Aspects of my teaching that had over years become effortless (moving around the classroom, breaking students into small groups for immediate short discussions, spontaneous adjustment of plans to add movement when kids looked sleepy) are now in the do-not-do column.

I feel sorry for kids sitting in desks and facing forward all day. In my non-COVID world, I prioritized physical activity at least once each period. Desk-bound was never how I wanted to teach.
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I'm sad about this. Still, I am excited to teach tomorrow.
I get to wear scrubs.

Enough.
Be well.
Write.

Allison

P.S. Tonight I received a text from a former student (a 2010 graduate) who is now an English teacher herself. She said she wanted to tell me how much I mean to "so many students and former students." She is teaching in a school that is adhering to tighter COVID safety protocols and said she hoped I could stay safe. 

Oh, you wonder why I love teaching?