Day 12 of LAUSD vaccine mandate
At Bacari Restaurant tonight…
9/21/21. Tuesday
The teachers are losing their shit again at College No. 1. They continue to rail against the Hyflex model and the email thread is growing. A nameless Administrator jumped in on the thread, again, and lied that 50% of the students requested F2F classes and we have to accommodate the students. All of us know that’s not true. Admin. prepared the Fall 2021 Schedule of Classes and offered the sections like this (here’s an example –this is ONE class):
CRN# 12345
ENGL M 7:00-10:00 F2F – 20 spots
ENGL M 7:00-10:00 ONL – 20 spots
Essentially, Admin split all of the regular classes in HALF – 50% of the seats go to ONLINE and 50% of the seats go to F2F. As I suspected, the ONLINE classes are snatched up immediately, leaving the F2F crumbs for those students who still need the class but either weren’t a) fast enough to grab an ONLINE spot OR b) did NOT have the higher “registration priority” that Sophomores have.
In other words, half of the students do NOT want F2F classes; they’re forced into that track because Admin. converted ALL of our courses into the Hyflex model and is splitting every class in two [half Online, half F2F]. If you can’t get an Online section, you’re SOL and have to settle for the F2F section, BUT it doesn’t mean that 50% of the student body are deliberately and thoughtfully selecting the in-class mode of instruction. They have no choice.
So, for Admin to insert themselves into the Instructor email thread and blatantly lie to all of us regarding a fabricated 50% statistic is absolutely insulting. The better way to gauge what the students actually want is to offer ONLINE classes, with 40-80 seats per section [as usual] AND F2F classes, with 40-80 seats per section [as usual], and see which classes the students pick. THEN, design the Schedule of Classes accordingly for the next semester. Stop lying.
Spoiler Alert: Apparently an extensive Summer School survey was administered to all Summer School students and instructors asking for their insight and opinions regarding Hyflex classes. Because it’s Summer School, the sample size was small, but one thing’s for sure…the students a) hate the Hyflex model; b)LOVE online courses; and c) are lukewarm on F2F classes. It shakes out to 70%/30%, with 70% of students in favor of Online courses and climbing. Almost 100% of instructors hate the Hyflex model and referred to it as a “failure” in their survey responses.
9:00-9:30 – Up and I go downstairs to greet the animal. The dog’s asleep on the couch, but rolls over on her back so I can rub her tummy three times. She grabs her toy and outside we go, where I wait around until she goes potty. Back inside and cheese for her, coffee for me. I go upstairs.
9:00-11:00 – Shower. Lotion. Covid-19 uniform. Light make-up.
11:00-12:30 – L. is awake and she and I load the dog in the car and leave for the two dog parks I scouted on Saturday. The first dog park is empty, but the three of us go in anyway. I take the dog off leash and let her roam in the “small dog” section. She really enjoys it and spends some time running around, until she gets tired and lays down at our feet. It’s hot outside but I appreciate the fact that there are dog bowls scatted throughout the park and a water faucet that owners can use to fill the bowls. I give her some water and we all head to the second park.
This park is next to a skate park and there is one man with his dog in the “large dog” section. L. and I are the only dog owners in the “small dog” section, but the dog doesn’t seem as interested in being off leash here as she was at the first dog park and stays close to us. As L. and I hang out, a man in a van arrives with TEN dogs, and releases them two at a time into the “large dog” section. I cannot believe that 10 dogs were actually housed inside his small van – it looks like a clown car – and they hit the dog park in full force, running around and having a great time. MY dog is intimidated by all this commotion and refuses to move from our feet, even though these dogs are in a different area. The lone dog owner who was here before all of us appears completely overwhelmed and leaves.
12:30-1:30 – L. and I also leave, drop off the dog at home, and go to Nektar, where I order an Acai bowl and L. gets some sort of smoothie??? to go.
1:30-2:30 - Return home and I eat the Acai bowl and read a Money Diary.
2:30-3:30 – I take a nap.
3:30-4:00 – I touch up my make-up and change into a presentable outfit.
4:00-5:00 – L. and I leave for Bacari Restaurant in Silverlake.
Driving and we listen to Spooked.
5:00 – 8:00 - Arrive!! L. and I are seated outdoors, under a tree that appears to take up the entire restaurant space. The tree branches are filled with twinkling lights and there are different levels and platforms throughout the restaurant for dining so that it feels like we’re eating in a tree house or an enchanted forest where fairies live. L. orders a cheese plate – of course – and I get the rainbow beet salad. For my entrée, I order fried chicken sliders and L. gets the Asian Pear and Brie Pizza. I have two wonderful glasses of Prosecco and for dessert, L. and I split The Best Cake You’ve Ever Had. Everything is sooo good!
8:00-9:00 – Driving.
9:00 – 9:30 – Home and I ready course content for my highschoolers tomorrow and check the Discussion Board content.
9:30-1:00 – I write four blog posts.
1:00-2:00 – I pack a lunch bag with tonight’s leftovers and snacks, ready my coffee, and clean the kitchen. I also pack my beach bag.
2:00-I sit down in my chair for a moment and…
4:00…I wake up at 4:00 a.m., gasping, after having had a terrible nightmare involving L. being stabbed by a transient and dying in the street! It was so real…
4:00-5:00 – Nighttime routine. Bed.