Tuesday 17 of my journalism students met in Room #408 for an all-day workshop to learn the Scrum system of work-flow organization. Our Area Education Agency provided the training via Zoom. Lead editors from the website, broadcast, and yearbook branches of our program participated.
We had a day of firehose learning, punctuated by several interactive games.
I would call it a success!
But as I told the hosts in our debriefing, my classroom COVID protocols FELL APART.
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I want to say this:
Good teaching is never easy. Even on the "easy" days, I often feel like I am conducting a 7-hour orchestra performance.
COVID means I am now conducting the orchestra in the midst of a raging forest fire. I can conduct, or I can put out the fire. But I can't do both.
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My students kept their masks on all day.
But several slipped below the nose.
My students remained distanced. Kind of.
Except during the much-needed breakout activities.
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Two of our activities required us to touch shared objects (PingPong balls and Legos). We used hand sanitizer before and after.
But despite our good intentions, I came away from the day's workshop feeling that I'd failed to maintain the mitigation protocols I've worked so hard to establish over the past three months.
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Governor Reynolds' messaging throughout the past eight months has echoed Donald Trump's. Iowans who have followed her guidance may or may not have donned "personal choice" masks. They may or may not have followed "suggested" social distancing and handwashing.
Her tone since Monday has been a little more pleading: C'mon, guys, let's be more careful!
Yesterday at Casey's I was surrounded by Iowans going about their business protected not by masks or distancing, but by their confidence in the leadership(?) that is bringing our state to its knees.
Enough.
Be well.
Write.
Allison
For reference: Nov. 19, 2020 73 of Iowa's 99 counties are above the uncontrolled-outbreak level of 20% positivity average in 14 days of testing. No county is under 10% positivity this morning. Cass County has had 669 cases in its population of 12930 (5%) 18 people have died. |
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| So grateful for Whatsapp! Wolf and I like to look at each other! |
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