Notes From an Isolated Teacher

Some people are keeping track of how many days they've been in isolation. I lost track some time in the first week.

Today marks the end of Week 3 of online teaching, and the learning curve has been huge. The long-running group text between my middle school colleagues has been a source of information, support, great ideas, and a lot of mirth. The ability to vent a little when things get frustrating has been so important, too. We're all in this together, even though we are teaching different subjects and all managing our own Google Classrooms and class meetings on Google Meet or Zoom.

Isolation isn't the easiest thing, and working from home doesn't feel much like working to me. I know there are people who sit at desks and do computer-related functions all day, but that is not my function in my job. I feel discombobulated being at a computer instead of standing in front of thirty kids, or wandering around the classroom. Most of my work load has been drastically reduced. Instead of planning weekly lessons for six grade levels (3rd-8th), I'm down to three (6th-8th), though I have put some fun activities up on Google Classroom for my elementary students to do if they get bored. We're not inputting grades into the official online gradebook, so my "grading" has consisted of checking if they did it and marking it in my paper grade book. There is no such thing as classroom management when you are not seeing all of your kids every day. Just class meetings where they ask questions and want to talk because they miss us.

This week, I started working with a web site called Loom to make teaching videos--it's really great because I can show the kids my desktop and myself on camera at the same time. As we move forward after Spring Break, I'll be using this for most of my "lessons" with the kids, and giving assignments based on that.

Next week, by the way, is our regularly-scheduled Spring Break, and we have been ordered (haha) to take it. "Don't work! Relax! Take that time off, because you've earned it!"

Thing is, I'm already relaxing. A lot. In between work tasks, I work out and do household chores. By the time I log off for the day, it's 3:30, and all I have is tons of time to watch TV or read a book. I have made a ton of atlas heart ornaments for my Etsy shop, watched the whole of The Tiger King (I will never get those brain cells back), and I've subscribed to Disney Plus, watched The Mandalorian, and fallen in love with Baby Yoda. (I know, it's The Child.)

Officially, we are closed until May 1st, but Governor Newsom has been saying this week that all California schools will remain online through the end of the school year. It's sad, and frustrating, but we just don't have full public participation in isolation measures, and we are not curtailing the virus enough.

So here I will stay, pushing the online learning and doing the best I can in strange circumstances.