Today was the last first day of high school for the Seniors at my school. The class of 2021 who are collectively holding their breath to have a real Senior year with all of its traditions. Our school has some of the popular ones and some that are unique. Either way, they are greatly anticipated by the Seniors who have waited for their turn. I was sitting at lunch as one of the staff was walking around with balloons attached to a sign similar to the one above. One of the girls didn't want to take it alone and asked a nearby friend to join her. Immediately, the staff member said, "Well, if you want a friend, you will both need to put your mask on for the picture." Everyone was eating socially distanced. Our whole student body was not present. It was different.
In some ways, everything was the same. The loud conversations and exuberant laughter. I love those sounds. They say, "I'm a kid and I'm having a happy, typical kid life." Those sounds let me know that all is right with the world despite 24 hour news and 24 hour bickering. And, lucky us, we get to choose our favorite type of bickering--comments on news stories online, talking heads on television, or brutal comments on twitter. The sounds of kids enjoying each other's company, the joy of being young and carefree, and the knowledge that the circle of life is continuing just makes me smile. I love knowing that despite every challenge we face, despite every difficulty, and despite every bit of resistance our jobs as teachers bring, good and right remain strong.
Today was the first day of the hybrid model my school has employed. We have students live and in person on campus, five days a week who are living the socially distant life. Masks on, distance between them wherever they go, walking only to the right in every passageway and hallway to avoid crisscrossing or contact, no lockers between classes, no restroom between class, with staggered access to both to allow for contact tracing should the need arise. Water fountains bagged up, contact free hand sanitizers stands, regular disinfectant (CDC approved), air purifiers and heightened cleaning with a greater emphasis on hand washing. That's the lay of the land for the campus kids. When some started to grumble, I reminded them that if we messed this up, we would have to go back home, and that these were the measures we had to do in an effort to be together. Grumbles were gone immediately. None of them want to go back to the home learning status of the Spring.
Off campus students were scrambling to sign up for the meets and contended with all kinds of tech issues. One mom sent me a desperate sounding email alerting me to the fact that the power company had accidentally cut the lines to their neighborhood and that they were trying to get access to the meet. Trying to cast a video while presenting your screen was a no go today. Contending with lags in the server on both ends was also a challenge.
For me, the absolute worst thing was the way everything took considerably more time. I couldn't just ask a group of students to go to the table and select a textbook. I had to deliver them one by one. Had I thought about it, I would have put one at each desk before they arrived. I had a lesson showing the distribution of wealth in this nation with a different candy representing different categories. Normally, I put them in a bag and let kids grab something without looking. I had to draw names and match them with a candy. I used gloves to hand out individually packaged candy. It took a long time. More time than if we had been in person without distancing. It was also less fun.
I was surprised that everything seemed to be in slow motion as far as accomplishment went. Right around 2:30 things seemed to make a quick, temporary shift to normal. One of my students (he has taken several different classes with me over the years) asked me, "Hey, Mrs. Teacher, do you have a pen I can use?" This is the same question he has asked me in every class period for every class he has ever taken with me. I just smiled, but I really had to think about it. Am I allowed to give him a pen I have touched? Should I disinfect it first? How do I do that? Or should I do it at all?
So, the pacing was off today. Between the regular back to school lag, the even longer since we have been here lag, and the general tech server lag, everything moved sloooooooooooowly.
I felt like I was starring on "Slow Motion Theater" in the episode call, "What Lesson Plans?" This episode has the teacher not doing one-third of the things she had listed on an already reduced list to allow for all of the differences.
Be patient. All of the new stuff is uncharted territory. Be prepared for delays. If I could make a sign for every teacher returning to school it would be hot pink and say, "Expect Delays".
Now, off to reassess what we did and figure out what is realistic for tomorrow.
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