Day Four - There's a First Time for Everything
Day 4: Monday, March 23, 2020
Today is D-Day - Remote Learning. There's a first time for everything.
I am thankful to report that no one threw up. But someone was up a lot. Isla did't sleep great. She was up at multiple times with the last one coming at 4:30. I rocked her back to sleep and she's usually pretty good. with me and. back out in less that 15 minutes. Probably less than that - as I like to stay longer.
Neil and Malcolm were up first - hiding with their blankets in the hall. They did a really good job at first because I missed them, so I waited until they would pick their heads up. Then Duncs who got himself dressed - kind of.
Back to remote learning. The DoE has no plan for this. To be honest, no one did based on the boys' schools' responses to it. The fact that after Hurricane Sandy they have. nothing planned in the event that massive amount of students are displaced is unconscionable. "We're NYC the Greatest City in the World! We have the nation's largest school system of 1.1 million kids! And we're fucking unprepared as usual!"
Let's start with what this isn't: this isn't teachers teaching full lessons from their homes, in their pajamas or something. It's not teachers being available 24/7 to families. It's not regular instruction with regular person to person interaction. There is no system set up for it. None. They do not even know if they have the capacity to do it. I'm talking about Google, not the DoE. The DoE has no capacity.
Now can it be something where people do have time to interact with students, provide them with work and feedback on that work? Yes. Are there opportunities for teachers to post videos of themselves and live conference? Yes there is. The truth is, this is probably going to be way more stressful for them when they try to answer questions from students because it might not be clear.
However, we also need to keep in mind that the vultures are circling. The anti-union people, the education "reformists" who will say that we no longer need to have traditional schools because kids can be in another location, the entrepreneurs who will try to make money off it. Then there are the bottom feeders like Charters schools who will dump as much money as possible into this and bill it as the next amazing trend in learning when in the end it is really a stop gap. The Google Classroom platform can be used for a lot of things and can really be an excellent resource for teachers to push out assignments, collect them, collaborate with students, create portfolios and document the trajectory that the learning has taken place all year. This takes time and planning.
We were WELL ahead of the curve. Our middle school was using it already and some of our elementary teachers. We have two teachers who really kn ow the technology piece and they were able to support the rest of the staff in building their classroom and getting it ready. It also helps when the boss tells you to start getting it ready a week before the DoE starts their planning.
We have done everything before they do it. They have no system for recording staff attendance. We do. They had no platform for working with students. - they created it last week. We did. Not them.
Despite all of this, the learning goes on. Neil has been doing a ton of reading and really tries to get all of his work done as soon as possible in the am despite the raging tantrums of Malcolm and Duncan, depending on the day of who it is, or on many days, both of them.
And so, this is it, working from home. Tantrums and all.
This is bullshit.
You want stress - let's have the regular stress of four kids, one who screams and cries because they want to be held by Mommy all the time, one who is constantly moving and getting in to things that they shouldn't, one who instigates and one who is 15 months old. Then add the work issues - for us it was managing people (parents) who want instant gratification on something and a response to emails, etc, when it all could have been resolved if they read and followed the directions.
Like I said, Neil has been doing a lot of reading, I head this today, "Tell me how to spell subservient - it's an antonym for government." He may have said synonym - I was trying not to listen to everyone.
At some point I went upstairs to continue with my work because it was too damn noisy. I cannot get anything done and having the additional stress of trying to manage the remote learning of 1100 kids, their parents and our staff (who honestly have been pretty awesome) was a bit much. Not to mention the piecemeal emails from the DoE.
Not sure how long that lasted before the first disturbance of the Force:
Because, yes, I want you in my room, my tiny hovel in the corner, practicing hitting a ping pong ball while I am trying to work. I know they don't get it but it is pretty hard to have all that in the middle of the work stuff. Also, the baby crying because Jess isn't holding her and Malcolm and Duncan both singing louder and louder over one another or just making random noises that are just frigging noise.
This rain is even bigger bullshit because they need to be outside. Jess had a plan though! Some bullshit 15 minute workout. So, let's everyone. all six of us get on like an 8x11 foot carpet and do the workout....
Nothing would be complete in this house unless someone was in a state of undress. Isla was awesome and did the workout too. She is very good a squats. Neil was on it too - he just needs to learn to keep his butt down.
After that we attempted to have some lunch. (I think). The usual mayhem. This is what happens when your little sister loves you and wants your attention and you ignore her.
You're also logically just about naked as you do your remote learning from home, because, you can.
After lunch Jess got Isla up in bed and I went down with them as they played Bey Blades. Brought down some lego stuff from Neil's room so that we could maybe try to start setting that up in their. playroom. That didn't work.
I had to continue to do work in the middle of all of this. I was on a video conference at two and then continued to work through about 3:30/4 to develop some surveys for the teachers - one for their emergency contact (so we could get into the 21st C and make it digital) and one on how the remote learning was going for them so that we can assess and provide some additional supports.
Hi Lombardo! I sent that to Julien - lol
Now as for the rest of the day, I think there was some more nonsense (I can almost guarantee it). They played one of Jess' made up games - roll the ball under the coffee table. Since there are no rules, like every other game, this quickly devolves into yelling and fighting, pulling the limited number of balls from one another and general fuckery. When I reminded Jess of this, she said, "See, they are playing. I make up games all the time and they. play." To which I responded, Yes, they do. If you dropped a big pile of shit in the living room and told them to throw things at it, they would do that too. And argue over who the shit belongs to. Except maybe Neil. He sceeves germs.
We had our dinner. Past with broccoli. These kids don't like red sauce. WTF? We played question of the day on Alexa - which, it is always a fight about who gets to answer. This time is was Malcolm and we got it right - but. then Duncan called out D and we got it wrong. He does this a lot. He's been banished from speaking during question of the day and may even have to leave the room when we play.
The two little ones got up and in bed and then I retired to the bar with Neil and Malcolm to watch an episode of Rebels. After about five minutes, Malcolm announces that he feels like he has to throw up. About five minutes after that, he does. Neil was a big help ensuring that we had the bucket ready to go. He felt fine after. I got the boys to bed and then watched an episode of The English Game. Almost done with this season. It's more Downton Abbey than it is football. Then it was off to bed. I was tempted to watch the final episode but figured I would build the suspense since we have nothing but time and could watch it tomorrow night.
Nothing but time.
Today is D-Day - Remote Learning. There's a first time for everything.
I am thankful to report that no one threw up. But someone was up a lot. Isla did't sleep great. She was up at multiple times with the last one coming at 4:30. I rocked her back to sleep and she's usually pretty good. with me and. back out in less that 15 minutes. Probably less than that - as I like to stay longer.
Neil and Malcolm were up first - hiding with their blankets in the hall. They did a really good job at first because I missed them, so I waited until they would pick their heads up. Then Duncs who got himself dressed - kind of.
Back to remote learning. The DoE has no plan for this. To be honest, no one did based on the boys' schools' responses to it. The fact that after Hurricane Sandy they have. nothing planned in the event that massive amount of students are displaced is unconscionable. "We're NYC the Greatest City in the World! We have the nation's largest school system of 1.1 million kids! And we're fucking unprepared as usual!"
Let's start with what this isn't: this isn't teachers teaching full lessons from their homes, in their pajamas or something. It's not teachers being available 24/7 to families. It's not regular instruction with regular person to person interaction. There is no system set up for it. None. They do not even know if they have the capacity to do it. I'm talking about Google, not the DoE. The DoE has no capacity.
Now can it be something where people do have time to interact with students, provide them with work and feedback on that work? Yes. Are there opportunities for teachers to post videos of themselves and live conference? Yes there is. The truth is, this is probably going to be way more stressful for them when they try to answer questions from students because it might not be clear.
However, we also need to keep in mind that the vultures are circling. The anti-union people, the education "reformists" who will say that we no longer need to have traditional schools because kids can be in another location, the entrepreneurs who will try to make money off it. Then there are the bottom feeders like Charters schools who will dump as much money as possible into this and bill it as the next amazing trend in learning when in the end it is really a stop gap. The Google Classroom platform can be used for a lot of things and can really be an excellent resource for teachers to push out assignments, collect them, collaborate with students, create portfolios and document the trajectory that the learning has taken place all year. This takes time and planning.
We were WELL ahead of the curve. Our middle school was using it already and some of our elementary teachers. We have two teachers who really kn ow the technology piece and they were able to support the rest of the staff in building their classroom and getting it ready. It also helps when the boss tells you to start getting it ready a week before the DoE starts their planning.
We have done everything before they do it. They have no system for recording staff attendance. We do. They had no platform for working with students. - they created it last week. We did. Not them.
Despite all of this, the learning goes on. Neil has been doing a ton of reading and really tries to get all of his work done as soon as possible in the am despite the raging tantrums of Malcolm and Duncan, depending on the day of who it is, or on many days, both of them.
And so, this is it, working from home. Tantrums and all.
This is bullshit.
You want stress - let's have the regular stress of four kids, one who screams and cries because they want to be held by Mommy all the time, one who is constantly moving and getting in to things that they shouldn't, one who instigates and one who is 15 months old. Then add the work issues - for us it was managing people (parents) who want instant gratification on something and a response to emails, etc, when it all could have been resolved if they read and followed the directions.
Like I said, Neil has been doing a lot of reading, I head this today, "Tell me how to spell subservient - it's an antonym for government." He may have said synonym - I was trying not to listen to everyone.
At some point I went upstairs to continue with my work because it was too damn noisy. I cannot get anything done and having the additional stress of trying to manage the remote learning of 1100 kids, their parents and our staff (who honestly have been pretty awesome) was a bit much. Not to mention the piecemeal emails from the DoE.
Not sure how long that lasted before the first disturbance of the Force:
Because, yes, I want you in my room, my tiny hovel in the corner, practicing hitting a ping pong ball while I am trying to work. I know they don't get it but it is pretty hard to have all that in the middle of the work stuff. Also, the baby crying because Jess isn't holding her and Malcolm and Duncan both singing louder and louder over one another or just making random noises that are just frigging noise.
This rain is even bigger bullshit because they need to be outside. Jess had a plan though! Some bullshit 15 minute workout. So, let's everyone. all six of us get on like an 8x11 foot carpet and do the workout....
Nothing would be complete in this house unless someone was in a state of undress. Isla was awesome and did the workout too. She is very good a squats. Neil was on it too - he just needs to learn to keep his butt down.
After that we attempted to have some lunch. (I think). The usual mayhem. This is what happens when your little sister loves you and wants your attention and you ignore her.
You're also logically just about naked as you do your remote learning from home, because, you can.
After lunch Jess got Isla up in bed and I went down with them as they played Bey Blades. Brought down some lego stuff from Neil's room so that we could maybe try to start setting that up in their. playroom. That didn't work.
I had to continue to do work in the middle of all of this. I was on a video conference at two and then continued to work through about 3:30/4 to develop some surveys for the teachers - one for their emergency contact (so we could get into the 21st C and make it digital) and one on how the remote learning was going for them so that we can assess and provide some additional supports.
Hi Lombardo! I sent that to Julien - lol
Now as for the rest of the day, I think there was some more nonsense (I can almost guarantee it). They played one of Jess' made up games - roll the ball under the coffee table. Since there are no rules, like every other game, this quickly devolves into yelling and fighting, pulling the limited number of balls from one another and general fuckery. When I reminded Jess of this, she said, "See, they are playing. I make up games all the time and they. play." To which I responded, Yes, they do. If you dropped a big pile of shit in the living room and told them to throw things at it, they would do that too. And argue over who the shit belongs to. Except maybe Neil. He sceeves germs.
We had our dinner. Past with broccoli. These kids don't like red sauce. WTF? We played question of the day on Alexa - which, it is always a fight about who gets to answer. This time is was Malcolm and we got it right - but. then Duncan called out D and we got it wrong. He does this a lot. He's been banished from speaking during question of the day and may even have to leave the room when we play.
The two little ones got up and in bed and then I retired to the bar with Neil and Malcolm to watch an episode of Rebels. After about five minutes, Malcolm announces that he feels like he has to throw up. About five minutes after that, he does. Neil was a big help ensuring that we had the bucket ready to go. He felt fine after. I got the boys to bed and then watched an episode of The English Game. Almost done with this season. It's more Downton Abbey than it is football. Then it was off to bed. I was tempted to watch the final episode but figured I would build the suspense since we have nothing but time and could watch it tomorrow night.
Nothing but time.
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