Day 2 Pre-Planning During COVID19 - Feeling Better...

I was actually excited to be in the routine of getting to school this morning.  I had not looked forward to hair and make-up every morning again, but I forgot what a quiet bit of time it gave me to wake up in the morning and sift through my thoughts.  Also - right now with people working remotely in Atlanta, the traffic is a blessing in disguise, so the drive to work is peaceful too.

Lots of virtual meetings yesterday, but it was nice to be on Teams together because we could see each other's faces, relax, and get some laughs in.  Big topic of the day was the grading plan set forth by our district, which is pretty nutty although it does leave room for some needed growth and change.  

One big thing the grading policy during remote allows for is reinforcement of building relationships with students, and I see it as an opportunity to build relationships with parents in a way we have not done before.  Remote platforms allow for easier conferencing and opportunity for "parent office hours" - best of all, that does not have to go away even when we are face to face again someday.  In my early days of teaching when email was still the main source of communication home, I sent weekly parent emails/updates and was the first in my department then to do so.  The parents really appreciated it, and I liked the pro-active communication versus first contact only when there was an issue.  Relationships need to be built immediately in order for trust the grow productively.

Well, desktop updates suggest the day is ramping up with first meetings.  I hear laughter in the hall right now, even more added improvement for today!

Three positive things for today:

1.  The traffic to school is light making the drive easy and peaceful.

2.  I feel like I am in my old routine again - it is like putting on a pair of old pajamas.

3.  I am going to be adopting a new cat this week - more fur baby therapy at home!