quarantine day ???

First of all I am NOT quarantine material! Yall staying home is so hard!!! And the hardest part not going to school. Seriously the building misses me. I swear it does! 

So day 1 I stayed home and was a good rule follower. 

Day 2... HAD to get to the grocery store to pick up essentials

Day 3... Went out and got the dreaded COVID test. Funny story the nurse giving it was like it isnt that bad for women. Men though they can't handle it as well. Hahaha

Day 4... First day of remote quarantined teaching. Kids in school being monitored by Admin while I teach from home. All. The. Nerves. But we made it - just in time for that set of kids to get quaratined too! So now my whole cohort A and B day are at home! Also this is the day our district released we are going remote from December 1 through January 12. So all the things going on trying to figure all that out as well.

Day 5... Remote teaching was tough. I cried. Went to the store for toilet paper we are out at Costco and almost out at walmart. Great.

Day 6...Covid Test is Negative! Virtual Sock Battle with a super hero loving teacher friend. And had an amazing day remote teaching.

Is it over yet yall? Haha 8 more days.

quarantined teacher day 1

So it happened Yall. My team and I are quarantined. Got the news today. My school actually went 8 weeks without having to shut down a single cohort and then I swear it's been a downward slope every since. 

T7b - kid positive

T6 - teacher positive

S6 - teacher exposure to positive

T8b - kid positive

S7b - kid positive

It's been a lot. Administration and other support staff are covering classrooms of kids while their teachers are remote into the classroom. Technology isn't always working. Fear is running rampant. And both students and teachers are already stretched thin. 

We wear our mask. We keep distance. We sanitize and have cohorts and don't care the hallway spaces, have zoom meetings. And we are still having shut downs. It absolutely sucks. I feel like a prisoner at school. I cant talk to my friends in person. Only video calls. I can't hug kids or get hugs. We all need hugs Yall. And some of these kids - this is the tough one -  some of my students I have NEVER seen their whole faces. Just their eyes and forehead. It is heart breaking. 

I'm struggling with quarantine. I'm not a very good caged animal. I gain energy from others. I feed off the energy in the room. And I'm going to miss my kids. Hoping it goes fast and that my team and students stay safe and heathy!

Distance Learning

As if teaching 7th Grade math in person wasn't hard enough...let's go online, during a pandemic!

Things that have been good during this "distance learning" time
1. [7th grade] Math is about the "how" of the problem more than the "what" of the problem
2. Getting out of the box and really changing things up - teaching and learning
3. Focus on responding to problems not just answering them (C-E-R format)
4. Support from my administration staff has always been great but it has just stepped up tenfold
5. Connections with my kids have gotten stronger, not with every kid but with a handful of them

Things that have been a challenge during this "distance learning" time
1. I miss my students. Like SO much.
2. I never realized how much I really LOVED going to school and being in that space
3. I am a social creature and NEED in person interaction because
4. I miss my coworkers
5. I miss my classroom