“You know, I really like that…” she said to the boy sitting next to her. Her voice was muffled from her mask. I couldn’t tell what she was talking about, but she was pointing at the front of the room. I looked at the monitor on the wall to see what it was about the […]
Monthly Archives: January 2021
Crumpled Evidence
Wed, 27 Jan 2021, 07:09 PM (-06:00)
She posted her homework in the early afternoon. I opened it late in the day. Since we are remote, everyone posts to Google Classroom. A few print out the assignment and write on it. Most write on separate sheets of paper. They all submit photos of their work. She writes on sheets of paper. Meticulously. […]
A Question
Tue, 26 Jan 2021, 08:05 PM (-06:00)
“Do you know what a rotary dial phone is? Have you ever used one?” That was the attendance question for the day. Silly questions, these attendance questions. Just little nothings. All the kids need to do is respond. No right. No wrong. Just the equivalent of raising your hand and saying, “Here.” Yet what a […]
Taking A Quiz On Zoom
Tue, 26 Jan 2021, 09:50 AM (-06:00)
They sit at home in front of their computers in their rooms taking a quiz on Zoom.
Write It Down
Mon, 25 Jan 2021, 08:47 PM (-06:00)
She came into my room to ask a question. I forget what it was, but let’s say it was something about an incorrect grade — a not uncommon event but one that can easily be fixed. I told her I’d fix it. She smiled and said, “Thank you.” She always smiles. And she always says […]
Doing Things The Hard Way
Mon, 25 Jan 2021, 08:27 AM (-06:00)
Two students were working on an assignment. They hovered over the handout, holding yellow pencils and talking in hushed voices. “See, you divide by a fraction right here,” one said. “But that’s the hard way,” the other replied after a moment’s delay. You see, fractions are a mystery to most of them. Their understanding of […]
Amanda Gorman
Sat, 23 Jan 2021, 12:38 PM (-06:00)
yellow+redarms+hands voice+words How amazing was that? REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (via: Times of San Diego)
Remote Tech
Sat, 23 Jan 2021, 09:57 AM (-06:00)
1. So Many Steps “I did the assignment,” she said in an email. She’s pretty good at keeping up with her grades. And when she sees something that she thinks is wrong, she lets me know. I depend on that. “Thanks for letting me know,” I replied. I checked Google Classroom, suspecting that I might […]
The Bulletin Board
Fri, 22 Jan 2021, 08:52 PM (-06:00)
He stood gazing at the bulletin board outside our classroom. It’s covered in drawings and descriptions that some of the kids drew and wrote. Of Deep Space Network antennas and black holes. Of Chicxulub crater and pyroclastic flow and the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain. Of kabuki and syncopation and the Royal Drums of Burundi. Of the […]
The Wrong Day?
Mon, 18 Jan 2021, 04:25 PM (-06:00)
Was that the wrong dream for this particular day? On a day of dreams of freedom and peace. Of casting aside manacles and chains. On this day of struggle. Of black and white. Of justice. Was this the wrong day for that dream? You might say so. That the day should not be stolen. Should not […]