Day 6 of LAUSD’s vaccine mandate

I was at the Michelangelo Sistine Chapel exhibit, in Los Angeles, today…

9/15/21. Wednesday

6:00 – L. leaves for Otis. She won’t return until 10:00 or 11:00 p.m.

7:30 – 8:00 - The alarm went off and I’m on it.  I go downstairs to greet the dog and start rubbing her tummy to wake her up – she doesn’t want to move. Class will start soon so we have to get going…she finally grabs her toy and we go outside. I water a few of my potted plants while she goes potty.  Return inside and sliced American cheese for her, coffee for me. I go to work.

8:00 – 8:30 – I publish the Discussion Board prompt at 8:15 and make sure course content is ready. It’s the same thing as Friday…some of the highschoolers are straggling in…a few are emailing me with questions. I’m cognizant that Mrs. B is circulating. This is a needy group.

8:30-9:00 – More of the same.  A few highschoolers email me that they’re unable to access the Discussion Board – there must be a glitch, they say – and send me the answer to the prompt. Uh, no. The Discussion Board locks at 8:45 and these students are late, but they’re past the 15-minute mark, which actually counts as an absence in accordance with the Attendance Policy.  Don’t they know this by now? You can’t access the Discussion Board because You. Are. Late. which means, technically, you’re banned from  completing today’s assignments.

9:00-10:00 – Today’s agenda – lecture, a Chapter Review Quiz, then a short video, and a Video Quiz. There’s a lot going on and the highschoolers are finally occupied and quiet. I check my Asynchronous class [College No. 2] and make a note of those students who did NOT complete last week’s assignments. Then, I send emails to the students in the Asynchronous class that they received 0s on their homework and I have marked them as absent.

-I switch back to my highschool class and send an email blast to those students who did not sign in on the Discussion Board this morning, informing them that they will be marked absent and will receive 0s on their assignments.

10:00-11:00 – Class dismissed and I. am. exhausted. I take Attendance for this morning’s class, then check email at both colleges and respond to several students. I then review the online grade books for both classes and send an email blast to all students who received a score of 6 or below on the Video Quiz, essentially asking them, “What happened?  Didn’t you watch the video?  Why is your score so low?”  A low score on a Video Quiz means the student did NOT watch the video and randomly guessed on the multiple-choice quiz.  This is unacceptable. You must demonstrate “active participation” to avoid being dropped.

11:00-12:00 – I pack my lunch bag then take a shower. Spa day. Lotion. Covid-19 uniform. Light make-up. I listen to The Daily and What a Day.

12:00 – 1:00 – I strongly debate going back to bed because I am sooo tired, BUT I bought a ticket to  Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition, in Los Angeles, and I really want to go. If I don’t go, then work wins and we can’t have that. I make some almond butter gluten toast, grab my lunch bag, and leave for the exhibit.

1:00-2:00 – Driving

2:00-3:00 – At the exhibit. There are about 4 people here and everyone is masked.  It really is incredible. Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel vignettes are blown up on huge sections of canvas and placed strategically in the exhibit, with note cards describing what I’m looking at.  L. informed me that Michelangelo’s original paintings are quite small and were completed on the ceiling – he had to lie on his back to complete the work and complained about it frequently - so walking through the exhibit and looking at the art that I would NEVER be able to fully view if I was at the Sistine Chapel is a wonderful experience. “I’ll put a link in the show notes”…that’s what podcasters always say.

https://chapelsistine.com/

-Because I paid for the “deluxe tour”, I get a free, small poster of one of the paintings.

3:00-4:15 – Driving. Traffic is bad.

4:15-6:00 – Home and I take a nap.

6:00 – 6:45 – I pack my overnight bag, touch up my make-up, and leave for B.’s house

6:45-7:00 – Driving

7:00-8:30 - Arrive at B.’s house for Cocktail Hour and we talk politics.   

8:30-10:00 – We have Mexican food outside on B.’s patio, under his gas heaters.  I placed my order with B. previously so I have the combo plate from Margaritas – taquitos with rice and beans – and it is so good!

10:00-11:30 – B. and I talk politics.

12:00 –1:00 -  Nighttime routine and Tent Time. B. set up the tent for us so we’re sleeping outside, tonight!