Day 33 - Los Angeles lifts its vaccine mandate. A vax card is no longer needed

Two classes down (College No. 1)…two more to go…

5/2/22. Monday

Today is going to be a busy day.

4:00-6:30-I wake up at 4:00 a.m. with racing thoughts regarding everything I have to do, but somehow manage to go back to sleep.

6:30-7:30-Up and I go downstairs to say good morning to the animal. She’s still asleep, so I make a cup of coffee and do the dishes. Then, I empty L.’s art studio trash can, put my trash cans at the curb, get my mail and go through it, etc…the dog wakes up so I take her outside and stand around, waiting for her to go potty. Return inside and cheese for her. I take my coffee into my office.

7:30-8:30 - My online course at College No. 2 is full steam ahead and we’re moving into Week #3 (my accelerated 8-week class). I create a Home Page for Week 3 and tweak the Discussion Board for this week’s participation assignment. Then, I publish course content.

8:30-9:30-I set up the last Module for today’s afternoon and evening classes at College No. 1, and create the farewell Discussion Boards.

-I check grades for my high school class to see how they’re doing. One of my highschoolers is getting a D and another student is getting an F. I send emails to both informing them that the last day to withdraw with a W is 5-13-22.

9:30-9:40-I make a few bullet journal entries.

9:40-10:40-I update the Final for Specialty Class 1B, while listening to Best Laid Plans and The Daily.

-I add 3 PSAs [Public Service Announcements] to the online Canvas shell at College No. 2.

-I post a podcast link for Chapter 11 to both Canvas shells at College No. 2.

10:40-12:30-Horror of horrors! I make the discovery that the Syllabus for my highschoolers ends, erroneously, two weeks BEFORE THE ACTUAL END OF THEIR SEMESTER. How on earth did I make this mistake? This is so unlike me…I must have found an alternative end date online and used that when I was designing the Syllabus for this particular Charter School. I spend the next two hours trying to build out the missing two weeks. This is a huge problem and the preceding weeks need to be formatted as well. I spend way too much time on this project but I’m not even close to solving the problem.

12:30-1:00-As usual, I lost track of time - what a surprise - and can’t even shower. I dress quickly, wash my face, brush my teeth, and put on jeans, a silk screen t-shirt, and tennis shoes. I pack my lunch bag and I’m out the door by 1:15.

1:00-2:00 - Driving. I eat my leftovers from Umaichi Ramen and listen to What a Day and What Next.

2:15-2:30 - Arrive at College No. 1 and put my make-up on in the parking lot.

2:30-3:45- Class is in session and NO ONE IS HERE!!! FINALLY!!! HALLELUJAH!! Everyone is, blessedly, taking the Final online.

-I check email at College No. 1.

-I calculate the new grading scale for Specialty Class 1B and update the Syllabus. Although the Canvas online grade book is automated, one of the students, who is bordering on a B, has been whining that the point spread on the Syllabus doesn’t match the actual points he’s accrued via the online grade book. I don’t need any trouble from this whiny baby so I adjust the point spread and repost the Syllabus.

-At 3:30, I note that four students have still not taken the Final. I email said students and tell them there are only TWO hours left and there is still time. CLASS DISMISSED!!!! I leave.

3:30-4:30-Driving. I listen to Citations Needed.

4:30-5:30-Home and I bring in all of my bags. I immediately start kitchen duty and make two salads with tomatoes, cheese, and celery for lunch, pack my lunch bag, and ready my coffee. I also make overnight oats.

5:30-5:50-Oops - I thought I posted today’s course content for Specialty Class 1B but I never did! Class starts in 20 minutes so I quickly post course content.

6:00-9:00-Class is in session. The students begin taking the Final. Two students don’t log in and I’m concerned.

-I take the dog for a walk (6:00-7:00).

-I take Attendance.

-I send yet another email to my Interim Dean at College No. 1 and specifically request to bump Dr. R and San Francisco. They have the only, fully online classes on the Fall Schedule and they’re teaching no F2F classes. I’m sick of this bullshit and bluntly request my own, fully online class.

-I create a Home Page for my high school class tomorrow and note what we’ll be doing the rest of this week. This takes some time and I reset due dates to coincide with the new Home Page I created.

-Most of the students have finished the Final. I email the two students who have NOT logged in and inform them that there is still time.

-I pack and review my lecture notes for my high school class tomorrow.

-I check email at College No. 2.

9:00-2:30-Class prep.

-B and I are leaving for Mt. Rushmore next Thursday which means I’m taking that day off from the Charter School and giving Mr. Gonzalez “the duty”, which he is only too happy to do because it means Mr. Gonzalez can’t be pulled from his OWN classroom, during his OWN PREP TIME, to fill in for a bullshit class because there are no subs available. He’s asked to fill in constantly but on the upcoming Thursday, he can legitimately refuse with the excuse that he is covering MY class.

BTW, Mr. Gonzalez doesn’t have to do ANYTHING when he covers my class, because the AUDIO lectures, Google slides, and quizzes are posted on Canvas and my highschoolers have been programmed to log onto Canvas and press play. They’re on notice NOT to bother Mr. Gonzalez. They don’t have to - my class is fully automated.

I still need to come up with “filler” for my Chapter 13 Module which, coincidentally, has been an ongoing problem for years. I’ve been looking for a documentary that I could show for this Module forever but never found anything I liked. Now, I absolutely have to find something and after an hour of research, I come across a documentary that addresses both Chapters 13 and 14, so I’m pleased about that.

-Emails come in from two students in Specialty Class 1B about their grades and I allow one student to submit the Extra Credit assignment late, which could potentially bump her to an A. I’m listening to the documentary I found while I respond to the students. It’s a keeper, but this means I will have to create a Video Quiz for the documentary.

-I am absolutely starving. L. says I can have her leftovers from Fish Tails so I have a breaded piece of salmon and French fries…at this late hour. Uh oh.

-I spend from 1:00-2:30 a.m., still trying to build out the last two weeks of the Syllabus for my highschoolers because, as noted earlier, I erroneously ended the semester early. I move things around and create the “filler” (new content) for the last two weeks of the Syllabus. Then, I update Canvas and change due dates for the last two weeks of assignments. All of this is a complete mess.

-I note a couple of changes that L .needs to make on one Google slide.

-I publish course content for my online class at College No. 2 and field a couple emails from my online students.

2:30-3:30-Nighttime routine. Bed. I listen to Dateline. An exhausting day…