Day 1 of LAUSD’s vaccine mandate!
I went to the Up Cycle exhibit today…
9/10/21. Friday
Los Angeles Unified School District [LAUSD], the second largest school district in the country, issued a vaccine mandate. This is huge! and it appears that all of the community colleges are on board as well, EXCEPT College No. 1. As it stands now, we have no idea who, if anyone, is vaccinated at College No. 1. This is a red district - at least it used to be a red district until poll results show that over 80% of the residents living in this zip code voted NO on the recall - and we could, conceivably, be teaching in a classroom filled with unvaccinated, infected Covid students. I support LAUSD’s vaccination mandate, especially when the shelf life on MY vaccination is about to expire [it’s been almost 6 months].
8:00 – 8:30 - Strangely, my alarm does not go off but I’m awake so I go downstairs immediately to greet the dog. I rub her tummy three times, she grabs her toy, and we go outside. I water a few of my plants while she goes potty. Return inside – coffee for me; pieces of sliced cheese for her. My Shingles sites hurt today, but I don’t have time to check the status as I’m running late. I go to work which means I enter my home office.
8:30-11:30 – I tweek the Discussion Board slightly and update the Canvas shell for my highschoolers. This is a Synchronous class so the Discussion Board closes at 8:45. A few students send separate emails AFTER 8:45 informing me that there is something wrong with the Discussion Board and they cannot sign in. I send them a stern email stating that there is nothing wrong with the Discussion Board – they are late to class and the Discussion Board is locked. I add that being late to class counts as an absence.
Two of the students give me attitude and push back, informing me that there will be changes to the school schedule in the future because the school has activities that they must attend (I’m teaching at a private, religious school and some of these activities include Liturgy and Mass). One of them actually has the audacity to say, “Do I need to have Admin contact you?” I counter that Mrs. B sent me a list of the SIX days when the schedule is adjusted and today is NOT one of those days. These same students then say that they have ASB duties and might need to sign in late on the Discussion Board in the future and one of the students claims to be the Student Body President. I tell both of them to send me their ASB schedules now, so I know when they’ll be late, and it’s ‘radio silence.’ Crickets. Neither of them send shit.
Some of the students who were late to class are very contrite after receiving my email. That’s what I like to hear.
This morning it’s like herding cats. Eventually, everyone finally gets with the program and they’re listening to the Audio lecture. The first few weeks of school are always the hardest.
I send an email blast to those students who did not sign in on the Discussion Board and take Attendance.
11:30-12:30 – I revert to College No. 1 and send an email blast to those students who failed to complete four Inquizitives by yesterday’s due date. I log 0’s into the online gradebook under the Inquizitive column for the ne’er do wells.
12:30-2:00 – It’s been a busy morning. I have two Crispy Crème donuts and drink the rest of my coffee while I work on blog posts.
2:00-3:00 – I read Work Won’t Love You Back.
3:00-4:00 – I have my 2-bean salad for lunch with tortilla chips that L. purchased previously, then make a Romaine lettuce wrap with a slice of turkey, tomatoes, and cottage cheese. I read a Money Diary.
4:00 – 4:45 – I get dressed in my Covid-19 uniform, wash my face, and brush my teeth. Light make-up. I listen to The Weeds.
4:45 – 5:15 – I’m trying to schedule simple excursions throughout the week because if I don’t work wins and I can’t allow ‘the man’ to win. There’s a new exhibit - Up Cycle - that I’ve been meaning to check out at the Newhall Library of all places. It features works made from recycled materials.
5:15-6:00 – At the Newhall Library! There are a few pieces from the exhibit featured prominently in the lobby of the library but the actual exhibit is closed to the public; HOWEVER, it is possible to attend a virtual exhibit, which I do and it’s. incredible! The canvases are made from egg shells, shredded CDs and DVDs, sand, rubber bands, etc. Like they say in podcasts, “I’ll put a link in the show notes.” See below for the link to the virtual gallery. Please take a look – it’s a wonderful exhibit. Highly recommend and it’s free!
https://www.artsteps.com/embed/60d2335961f4960d683fe726/560/315
6:00-7:00 – After the exhibit, I go to Pops Creamery and order two scoops of their gourmet ice cream – watermelon and coconut - and eat it outside on the bench. It’s so good!
7:00-7:30 – Drive home.
8:00-8:45 – Home and L. is home, too. We take the dog for a walk.
9:30-11:00 – I read a Money Diary then do a 1-hr Insanity – Max Interval workout.
11:00-12:30 – Gardening. I sweep the patio, trim the leaves from some of my potted plants, then water everything. I listen to Dr. Death - Season 3 while I work.
12:30-2:30 –Blog posts. I load my posts to the Square Space platform.
2:30-3:30 – I log my activities over the past two days and listen to another episode of Spooked.
3:30-4:30 – Nighttime routine. Bed. I put another sea salt poultice on my lesions.