Going to the grocery store is a strange juxtaposition of a familiar environment with strict rules - hand sanitiser on entry, a security guard passing patrons a trolley after it has been wiped down, tape on the floor everywhere to ensure customers are maintaining social distancing requirements, cordons funnelling shoppers into the store to prevent too many from entering at once, signs everywhere listing product restrictions - toilet paper x 1, baby wipes x 1, hand towel x 1, tissues x 2, canned goods a total of 2, pasta x 2 (if you can get any). There's no limit on fresh fruit and vegetables, eggs are usually in stock, there is more meat lately, dairy has maintained a constant supply. Baby formula keeps me on my toes. Baby became unwell and became lactose intolerant, we tried introducing regular formula three times and three times we switched back to lactose free. We are coming up to the time when we should introduce regular again and I just don't know what to buy - it is often in short supply so I am trying to buy one as we use one, and then I have two cans in the cupboard - two weeks stock just in case. I buy a few packets of pear and prune whenever I see it in the store because we go through that very quickly. It is an unfamiliar way to exist in a land of plenty and relative safety a layer of unease has been added to existence.
Week 11 was a continuing adjustment. Staff worked from home and went to school to collect things and do a bit of work here and there. The focus has been on establishing online learning and supporting senior students. Keeping abreast of social media during this time has been very useful and the sense of camaraderie offered by my online staffroom has been extraordinarily helpful and heartening. In response to a post online my colleague approached me about revisioning our approach to English online and then we met with the 2IC and came up with a plan for Term 2.
As all junior assessment was paused at the end of term. I have been given permission to organise a new due date to collect submissions for all the students who were unable to complete the first task. We will not be assigning another assessment task in Term 2 because it seems a bit silly to put that pressure on staff and students when we have no idea what the future looks like. If we focus on collecting the first task then we will have something and as many students managed to submit the task it will mean their work will still count.
The messaging around the term shifts regularly - a whole term online - maybe? Maybe not. To enact the plan I organised with my colleagues to come up with reading and writing activities. I drew on the 'Children's Writer's Notebook' for the range of activities for Year 7. The activities in the book are terrific and I modified a selected and developed an extension activity for most weeks - just for those who are able to work ahead. Students will be asked to hand in their best piece at the end of each week.
Hopefully this reduces the scores and scores of questions I have been fielding from students who 'don't know what to do' or are confused by a list of instructions and attached documents for the lesson. There have been continuous issues with accessing attached documents and websites - these queries are important, of course, and they must be answered, but I would prefer staff to have the time to give feedback on student writing, provide the teaching through their feedback - kind of like conferencing from a distance
Prior to Covid-19 I was in a great routine with my Year 7 group with Writing Workshop - writing off the page, draft #1, revising, draft #2, edit, teacher edits, and then publishing. I had an area in the classroom where students could collect notepaper and editing check sheets, I bought some staplers from Officeworks (they're pink!) and the writing was coming in. I could get through the scripts quickly, write some feedback, attached a sticker so the students knew everything was checked, and then have a brief conference during our double period. It was really starting to happen.I really hope I am able to establish some of the same practises next term - a creative outlet is important in dark times.
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