Day 25 - Mask mandate RESCINDED. We do NOT need to wear masks.
Bookclub tonight…
3/28/22. Monday
Monday’s are such long days…
10:00-10:30-I wake up once so I feel somewhat refreshed and go downstairs to say good morning to the dog. It’s a monsoon right now and it looks like it’s been raging all night. I’m not going to risk my life for three F2F students at College No. 1 so I make the executive decision to convert to Distance Education although the entire class has already been online for TWO MONTHS except for the three assholes who keep coming to the brick-and-mortar! I take the dog out but getting her to go potty in the pouring rain is a feat in itself. She already pooped in the house. Coffee for me, cheese for her. I go to work (report to my office).
10:30-1:15-I compile an email for the lone, three F2F students and explain that my neighborhood has flooded. As a result, I can’t make it to College No. 1, so I’m converting to Distance Education.
-Three students email their extra credit assignments to me so I print them out and confirm receipt.
-I send a second email to those students who continue to maintain a D or F and still haven’t dropped.
-The same student who failed to do TWELVE assignments and is requesting the opportunity to submit FOUR extra credit assignments (only one extra credit was assigned) is back at it again, whining and crying that she simply can’t get an F in the class because now she won’t be able to live with her mom. Funny…she didn’t mention that before. This must be a new attempt at raising her grade.
I’ve heard it all. One student once told me that he couldn’t get a D in the class because he would be unable to obtain financing for the home he was purchasing. So, getting one D means you won’t qualify for a loan? Hmmm…the loan companies require transcripts now? I don’t think so.
I compile a lengthy email to the student who is allegedly getting kicked out of her mom’s house and we go back and forth until I cut it…I’m sick of dealing with this. You didn’t complete TWELVE assignments and now you’re getting an F. Why can’t you understand that?
-I send a second email to those students in Specialty Class 1B who continue to maintain a D or F and who still haven’t dropped.
I create an Extra Credit assignment for Specialty Class 1B. This takes an hour. (11:30-12:30)
I record a PSA that I call “Monday Miscellany” about upcoming events, the next Socratic Seminar assignment, the new Extra Credit assignment, etc. then upload it to the Canvas shell.
I thaw 3 squares of my Moms banana bread.
-I also prepare two Announcements, in conjunction with the “Monday Miscellany” PSA, about the upcoming Socratic Seminar and Extra Credit assignment. I set the times so the Announcements will deploy automatically in two hours.
Still raining…
- I drop 2 students, one from each class.
1:15-1:45-I read Nature Fix for Bookclub.
1:45-2:30-Shower. I sit in the shower, ice my eyes, and listen to The Daily. Lotion. I put on “Athletic Housewife” attire, i.e., yoga pants and my True Crime Garage merch T-shirt.
2:30-3:15-Class is in session. I run downstairs, publish course content, then personally email the three F2F students and tell them to “press play” for AUDIO Lecture -PART I. These idiots need lots of hand-holding because they are too dense to figure out what to do.
Return upstairs and I blow dry my hair; then
back to my office so I can take Attendance.
3:15-3:45 - I personally email the three F2F students and tell them to start playing AUDIO Lecture - PART II.
I break for my leftover chicken and veges from Presto Pasta.
4:00-5:00-I notify the three F2F students to start watching the documentary and remind them that the Video Quiz will post at 5:00.
-I check email at College No. 1
-I check email at College No. 2
-I receive an email from one of my students with the answers from a Chapter Review quiz, so I quickly grade it and post her score to the online gradebook.
-I finish Nature Fix… just in time for Bookclub tonight!
So, this is a Bookclub pick and the library’s outreach activities for the month of March were largely based on Nature Fix – Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative. What I’m about to do next is a complete cop out, but I’m going to “put a link in the show notes” for By the Book, one of my favorite podcasts. Kristen and Jolenta lived by Nature Fix for two weeks and they summarize their experience and the book quite nicely. Plus, they’re really funny!
https://www.stitcher.com/show/by-the-book/episode/the-nature-fix-200144576
5:00-5:30 - I publish course content for Specialty Class 1B, then put on light make-up. Add shoes, a jacket, and an umbrella and I’m good to go.
5:30-6:00 - I drive to Bookclub and listen to Citations Needed.
6:00-7:00 - At Bookclub and two new people are here: Ann and Elise. Zoirba, who is the head librarian and running Bookclub now, was at the Moon Walk the other day and also at the 3/5/22 birdwatching I attended. After she pointed this out to me, I recalled seeing her at birdwatching…she recognized me at both events. All of us liked the book! John mentioned that his son is on psychotropics and could really benefit from being in nature (insert smile emoji here).
-At the same time I’m here, class is in session for Specialty Class 1B.
7:00-7:30-I drive home in heavy rain. Once I get home, I bring in my trash cans.
7:30-8:30 - I go straight to my office and log in. Apparently, one of my students from the 2:30 Core Class was late getting home and asked me to email her the Video Quiz, which I do. She responds with her answers a few minutes later so I grade the quiz and post her score to the online grade book.
-A student from Specialty Class 1B is getting a D and can’t UNDERSTAND why! This asshole was in my class last semester and wrote just THREE SENTENCES for the first Socratic Seminar essay assignment; he didn’t bother to turn in the second Socratic Seminar assignment. This semester…we’ve had one Socratic Seminar so far, which he also failed to turn in. More lies ensue. The student says he doesn’t understand why he received a low score on the Discussion Board assignment, but I remind him that we already had this conversation last semester. He didn’t get the full participation points because his word count was below the 100-word requirement in his responses to two students. After I spend 30 minutes compiling a page-long email addressing his concerns he doesn’t bother to respond.
-A student emails me requesting information for the second Socratic Seminar. This is the first she is hearing about this assignment and she doesn’t know how to access the media source or what the assignment entails. I email her the Syllabus without explanation; it’s on page 2, you dumb bitch.
-Another student emails and asks me to explain the Extra Credit assignment to him because he doesn’t understand what he’s supposed to do, even though I gave clear, concise directions and provided examples in Canvas. What don’t you understand? I email him the link to the Extra Credit assignment without explanation. Read it. He doesn’t respond.
7:30-10:30-As class is unfolding, I create a new Syllabus for my upcoming 8-week ONLINE class at College No. 2. This class starts on 4/16/22. Building out the Syllabus really takes THREE hours.
9:00 - Class dismissed.
9:30-10:30 - A student has an approved absence and needs the quizzes emailed to her. Unfortunately, I have to manually copy-and-paste 20 questions into a Word document because these particular quizzes are only stored on Canvas and I can no longer unlock the due date. Once I finish, I email her the quizzes for completion. What a waste of my time!
10:30-10:45-I take Attendance.
10:45-11:45 - Kitchen duty. I clean out the refrigerator and throw out some of L.’s old food. Then, I chop a pear and prepare my lunch bag. I also ready my coffee for tomorrow. I. Am. Starving. I make a poached egg on toast and eat five of L.’s crackers, along with four mini-Milano cookies. Spoiler Alert - Tomorrow I will have gained 2 pounds (97)
11:45-12:30-Nightime routine. Bed. I set my alarm for 4:30 a.m.