This has definitely been a unique start to the year, but I have to say that all things considered, I am loving it.
My district uses Microsoft Teams, and I dig OneNote, which is basically an online notebook for the kids and I to use. Now if only I could get the last few stragglers to figure out where their notebooks are. It's a process, to say the least. We will get there though, and I adore my students. One of my kiddos was super excited yesterday to show off his new pet chicken. It was one of the cutest things I have ever seen, him sitting in front of his iPad, the chicken beside him on the floor, as he was reading a book. I wish I could have taken a picture.
Eleanor has missed school so much and loves being back, despite the fact that I am so nervous every time I drop her off. She is one of ten kiddos in her class, and attends every other day. I know her school in particular is doing everything possible to keep kiddos safe, but relying on other people (especially in this stupid trump-loving state) to keep MY child safe and healthy is no good and if her district moves back to every student, every day, I will absolutely be pulling her from class and she will do her learning remotely.
The time away from the blog to get the school situation under control has also, once again, been marred by police brutality and more and more violence. How is a man going to walk away from police, only for the officer to grab his shirt and shoot him seven times in the back? NEWSFLASH: cops are not supposed to kill guilty people, either. So whether or not the charges against Jacob Blake are true, the attempted murder is not kosher. If he is guilty, then he should be in jail - NOT in a hospital bed, paralyzed from the waist down. Then on top of that we have a domestic terrorist being hailed as a hero for MURDERING two protesters, and trumplethinskin is talking about cans of soup as weapons? Fuck all the way off.
I have been reading a decent amount, but have just not had the energy to queue up posts because the beginning of the year really is exhausting. It is a different kind of exhausting this year, obviously, but exhausting all the same. By next week everything should be smoothed out in terms of tech issues and from there on out I will be good to go in getting back into my regular posts and getting reviews up.
From here I am finally going to get around to all the visits that are long overdue, I have missed seeing what you are all reading!
Happy Reading!
Sarah
I'm glad you're getting off to a good start! And the chicken thing is so cute. I hear you on the school thing- my daughter's best friend attends in- school classes and was exposed to Covid, we just found out, and now she's quarantined. I'm just wondering how long before they lock down again because I think the fall is going to be bad. Hopefully I'm wrong...
ReplyDeleteSo true about the protests and brutality. It's disheartening because I go on Facebook and see so many people I know complaining about BLM and Antifa (please) and saying there's no racism, how they support cops (I mean, yeah, me too when they're not shooting people left and right), etc. and I'm just like- over it. It's exhausting and you want to fact check people but it won't matter.
Anyway yeah. :) Hope you have a great rest of the week!
Right?! A PET CHICKEN! I love it. She still has no name, so I call her Chickadee and he lights up every time he talks about her or shows her off for his classmates.
DeleteThere are several smaller districts in the 'suburbs' of Omaha and most are going all students, full days. I am repeatedly thankful that Eleanor's district opted for safety and sanity. My best friends' son was exposed to COVID the first day of school! Luckily he did not catch it, so neither did they or their four other kiddos! That at least gives me comfort that masks, sanitzing constantly, etc is working. Hopefully your daughter's best friend's case will be the same.
I always think it is so interesting that the people who say there is no racism tend to be white people who would never have experienced racism ever in their lives. Such a joke. I am constantly reminding people who shout "Not all cops are bad!" that if you think you have eight good cops and two bad cops, but the eight good cops look the other way when the two bad cops do something, then you really have ten bad cops. It usually flusters people. Qualified immunity needs to go away. I get it, being a police officer is stressful, but there has to be a better process put in place to weed out those who are not fit to wear a badge and carry a gun. What we are doing now is obviously not working.
Hooray for almost-Friday!
I LOVE that! So cute...
DeleteI'm hopeful too. My daughter hasn't seen her since the quarantine, as far as we know... the details of when she was "exposed" are a little fuzzy- she did see her at a practice but it was very brief. Hoping for the best, but in school classes seems like insanity to me. Thank goodness for masks and social distancing and sanitizing- I hope things don't go bad!
Absolutely agree. I keep hearing too "but the person was a bad guy"! And I like okay but the police are not death squads???
THAt is half the problem too, not quite knowing all the information about possible exposures! How are people supposed to know if they have been exposed, when we aren't even told where the person was at, and such?
DeleteThe whole 'bad guy' thing is infuriating to me. For people who claim to be all about "law and order", they seem to think street executions by cops are okay? George Floyd is a perfect example of that. People were talking about how he had been arrested or charged or accused of holding a gun to a pregnant woman's belly. Well, fuck yeah he should be in jail if it is true. But JAIL. NOT DEAD. Cops are not supposed to execute innocent OR guilty people. Why is this so hard for people to understand?
I couldn't agree more with all your sentiments. It has been an exhausting and thoroughly depressing year in so many ways. Let us hope that better things are in store for us and, most importantly, let us work to make it so.
ReplyDeleteI certainly understand your concern for Eleanor. My older daughter works in the school system and the elementary school where she works started classes last week and now has several students testing positive. Two classes and teachers are in quarantine and there will almost certainly be more cases. The school board made a big mistake, in my opinion, in allowing in-class instruction to start. They should have continued with distance learning until this virus is under control. It seems quite likely that they will be forced to shut down again. At this point, that would be a good thing.
Yes! That is what people forget, we have to put in the work to make things better! It is so depressing and exhausting to constantly be bombarded with stories week after week, but I have to keep reminding myself that due to nothing but chance, I was born white and so I have the option to 'check out' for a while. Our Brothers and Sisters of Color never get that choice, so I know I can not rest either.
DeleteI am so thankful my district started remote, and that Eleanor's is on the A/B plan. All the other suburban districts here in Omaha are full day, all students. It is insane to me that anyone thinks it is a good idea - and teachers are being told not to talk to the media, so it seems in talking to teacher friends in other districts, there are many cases and potential cases of COVID going unreported at all. It is so scary.
it sounds like things are more or less under control... i'd hate to have a child in school now and to have to make those decisions. tough times indeed!
ReplyDeleteIt truly is scary. And teachers in other districts that are having students attend in-person are being told to not talk to the media, I have been told by teacher friends who are not in my same district. So, there are definitely more cases than the media is reporting which is also scary. Eleanor is enjoying school so much and I do not want to take this away from her because she LOVES her teacher, but I will not hesitate if needed to go fully remote for her. It is not worth the risk.
DeleteSarah, you are in my prayers, you and Eleanor (full disclosure: my prayers are positive thoughts.) I love your enthusiasm for your students. They are so fortunate to have you. I commend you on getting through those first days!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Judy <3 We will take prayers, positive thoughts, good vibes, any and everything that keeps us all safe. I am loving this group of students so far and it is disappointing that teaching this way means it takes longer for us to really get to know one another, but e know we are safe and there will hopefully be a point in the future when we can all be in a room together.
Deleteall in all it sounds like so far so good in the school department. love the chicken. :-) my child is grown so i don't have the school worry. i agree with your sentiments about trump and the killings. i try not to watch news any more. i can't take it. covid is bad enough, but no leaders leading and the 'bad people' crawling out from under the rocks and exposing themselves makes me SICK. so important for EVERYONE to vote. i have my fingers crossed for your child. i live in florida, so i don't have hope for it here.
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental
I can not get over how adorable this pet chicken thing is. She still does not have a name, so I call her Chickadee and I told him his homework over the long weekend is to think of a good name for her!
DeleteWatching the news is so terrible, I have had to stop. There are so many days I want to tune everything out, but our Brothers and Sisters of Color don't have that choice so I remind myself I can't rest either. I knew we still had a major problem with racism in this country - Obama's years in office clearly showed that - but DAMN! On one hand I wish they would crawl back under those rocks, but on the other hand it is good that we know who they are. That's all I can say too, VOTE VOTE VOTE!!
Aww just the thought of your student with his pet chicken sounds adorable. Sending you and everyone else navigating this school year good luck and safe vibes because I hear you on relying on other people. Considering everything that's gone down so far... I don't think I have faith in relying on other people to keep anyone safe (even here in my county with masks required in public places people still refuse to do so but am I really surprised considering the Trump state I'm in).
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Sophia, I really appreciate your words a lot. It is a scary time, and it is truly awful to have to count on others to do the right thing when the one person who should be encouraging the right thing is a giant buffoon who cares for no one but himself - and they listen to him instead of actual health experts.
DeleteMy state never actually closed, and our governor threatened to sue mayors over masks mandates in our two largest cities. Needless to say, he's a trumplethinskin supporter.
Hope you and your family stay well and safe!