Heal Our Land . . .

My heart is broken in a million little pieces as I see our country in so much pain. 

  I am overcome and I am scared, but I have hope. 

"Father, forgive us, heal us and show us how to be better."

My deepest condolences and prayers go out to George Floyd's family and friends.

May His story be the spark to provoke the change we so desperately need.

Respectfully and Prayerfully,

Officially Done

Virtual school 2020 is officially done.

I went to school this past week to clean up, pick everything off the floor, and get my classroom ready for the summer.  I only had 3 hours, and one of them was used for signing out.  My room was a little bit of a mess because when they dismissed us in March indefinitely, I was a little perplexed.  That afternoon I pretty much just grabbed my purse and went home.  With two hours, I didn't have much time to organize anything.  So, I just put things in an empty spot.  I certainly have my work cut out for me when we finally do get back.  

It was difficult saying good-bye to my students today, especially my 8th graders.  They did not want to end the Google Meets.  There were tears and memories and gratitudes.  

Our district has not informed us one way or another what August will look like.  It's all uncertain and, frankly, nerve wracking.  I am a planner.  I don't like surprises.  This pandemic has certainly taken me out of my comfort zone, for sure.  

I found out that next year my school will be merging the ELA and Reading department into one.  I am the Department Instructional Leader for both the ELL and ELA departments.  Now we will be bringing Reading to the party.  I will be sharing the leadership position with the department leader for the Reading department.  We will be creating an interdepartmental Literacy Task Force to re-examine and update our school-wide literacy initiatives.  I'm excited about it.  Fingers crossed that our faculty will buy in.  I suppose my summer will include some of this work.  

It will also include rest and relaxation, lots of novels, summer cleaning, ice cream and laughter.  My husband and I always go on two vacations in the summer.  One in the beginning and one at the end.  This year, obviously, will be a little different.  I'm hoping to have a staycation, instead, to spruce up my house a little.  And, if things get a little better, maybe we can have our end of the summer get away.  Time will tell.

Thank you for sharing virtual school with me.  

I'll be by in the summer to peek in and say hello.  

God Bless and Big Hugs,

Damarise

Two More . . .

I'm super excited, two more weeks.

I have a ton of work to do, but I'm looking forward to this school year's closing.We are not sure what August is going to look like, nevertheless, I 've decided that I cannot change the future with worry.  

Relax, that's my word of the year.

Relax.

 Have a lovely week ~

Hugs,

Damarise

The Count Down . . .

Finally decided to take a drive by the beach this weekend after 

finishing Week 6 of remote learning.  

The weather has been so beautiful, yet we've been locked in our houses.

Week six went fairly smoothly.  I still have students who are not putting much effort into remote learning.  I'm not sure why as we have had difficulty reaching parents, as well.  Just counting down these last three weeks and keeping my fingers crossed about the Fall.  There have been murmurings that our district may continue remote learning through the beginning of the next school year.  

Going with the flow at this point, three more weeks to go for us.  

We can do this!  

Big Hugs!

Damarise

Hanging In There . . .

Hello There, again.  

I hope you're all faring well during this end of April, beginning of May transition. 

What an April we had . . .  

My favorite part of virtual school is the morning.  I enjoy waking up, making my morning coffee, pouring my orange juice, and hoping the day will go smoothly.  One of the silver linings of this craziness is not having to rush out, forgetting your phone or your lunch bag, having to run back home, forgetting you had a parent-teacher conference, spilling coffee on your white blouse . . .

During virtual school, mornings have been calm for me.  I've enjoyed that. 

This week I had a few little mishaps, but I gave myself a little more grace than I had since virtual school  began.  I recorded two read alouds the week prior.  Because I was doing so many things at the same time, I forgot to test them.  I uploaded them into Google Classroom.  The emails started pouring in, "Mrs. Reyes, I can't hear anything."  I didn't realize until a little while later, the audio did not record.  I'm sure I messed up somehow, but here I am in a crunch.  The kids are waiting for their work and they cannot access it.  Eventually, it was resolved, due dates extended.  All is well in virtual land.

One of my non-school activities this week was making a face mask.  I was so excited to make this face mask.  First, my machine was working, but my needle broke.  I had to put it on hold until I could get a needle online.  My needle arrives, then my machine stopped working.  Will not complete the stitch.  No sewing machine repair shops open due to the shut down.  I'm disappointed I could not get my mask finished.  Not sure at this point if I should buy a new machine or fix my old one.  I looked on the internet, many machines are OUT OF STOCK.  We'll see. . .

Another non-school activity I decided to do was take walks during my lunch break.  I have fully enjoyed these walks because the days have been gorgeous where I live.  It just seemed so ironic, the weather has been so sweet, yet we have had to stay indoors.  My little walks have helped me get some Vitamin D and to get to just get out.  

One more super fun thing was hosting a Bible Journaling Night through Zoom with my Bible Journaling Group.  This was super fun.  

Next week begins our sixth week of virtual school.  No word yet what will happen in August.  Our district will be having online summer school for students who would normally go to summer school.  I think that's wonderful, for the kids primarily, but also for teachers who count on those summer jobs to get by.  

It's been quite a journey, and it's not over yet.  

I'm hoping and praying, the worst is behind us.

Thinking of all of you.

Big Hugs,

Damarise

. . . And Just Like That

. . . and just like that, Week #4 is done.

When virtual school began we were putting in wicked hours and the weeks seemed as if they would never end.  Now that we have some idea where we are going, the weeks are not lagging as much.  Next week we begin Week #5 which is our pinnacle.  After that, we begin our descent.  

Our school has had 94% participation in our virtual platform.  Engagement may not be as high, but we celebrate where we can.  

This week I taped up my little white board to keep me on track and so that my notes look more tidy.  I really like this new little agenda type board I've been using.  I may just keep it up once we get back to class.  I prepare it at the end of the day and it's the first thing I've been looking at when I begin in the morning.  

This week I forced myself to take breaks during the day.  Last week was not pretty and I am committed to not having a week like that one again.  As a department we have also decided to scale back a little on our lessons and requirements.  Students and families need time to breathe, and frankly, so do we.  We are not robots.  

We're praying for a teacher at our school and her son.  He was involved in a car accident this week, six years old.   If you remember her, say a little prayer so that he can recover soon and so that she can be strengthened during such a difficult time. 

It's time to clock out.  Time to begin our weekend.  

Time to turn off the computer.

Take time this weekend to enjoy little things and to be grateful.  

"In everything give thanks for this is His will concerning you."  1 Thes. 5:18

Hugs,

Damarise 

"Weak" 3

I couldn't catch my bearings!

 Juggling three different grade levels, teaching two different courses, teaching five periods in block scheduling, PLC & Leadership Google Meetings, end of year documentation due . . . , all remotely.  

My personal account accidentally merged with my work account!  

What?!?!

My personal computer began heating up breathing heavy, it too was having a panic attack! It was Week three and I still couldn't figure out who was on first.  

Let's just say, it wasn't pretty.

"Father, Help!"

There are so many things I have liked about remote learning, but one thing I don't like is that I feel lost.  I'm a planner, not a winger.  Last Sunday, I planned everything ahead of time, to realize once Monday came that I had planned a big mess.  My kids could not access anything, I added 8th grades lessons to my 6th grade class.  And, to add the icing on the cake, my evaluator clicked by in the middle of my little crisis.  

  By Wednesday I had a meltdown and I needed to stop, assess and figure something out.  I could not continue navigating with the lights out.

I went to Slides and  decided to map everything out.  I created a focus calendar with ever single thing I need for a particular class on a designated day.  Since then I've learned there are apps that will do this for me, I'll need to explore them when I get a moment.  But, we don't have a moment when teaching remotely, at least I haven't had one.  

I blocked out the classes I would not be teaching on Day 1, and added the content I'd be teaching in the squares next to the classes I would be teaching.  I started with May and worked my way backward.  Before each week, I have a giant slide that tells me which week I should be looking at. And, the week that finished was moved to the end of the presentation.  I'm not completely sure how the next few weeks will pan out, but at least I have a roadmap.  

These first three weeks was like wandering lost in a forest.  I'd keep running around in circles.  Just when I thought I'd knew where I was going, I'd end up lost again.  The frustrating part was I was  getting little accomplished, but working 10 and 12 hour days.  Thankfully, I've finally reached a clearing.  I'm breathing a little better now.  

I just have one more recording to do for next week.  I hope to complete it before Friday.  Then, I'm off to prepare my Week Five.  

  

A Prayer For Us

Father, help us this next week.  Shower us with grace, favor, peace and hope as we keep the boat

afloat for the next few weeks.  Help us find moments to breathe and to laugh.  Help us to believe and to anticipate good things.  Help us to allow ourselves to be human. I pray for all the teachers who are not just taking care of their students but are taking care of family members and neighbors.  I pray for students who are feeling confused and scared and awkward as their normal has been paused.  I pray for parents who may feel overwhelmed keeping their families fed, safe and educated. I pray for our nation, may we rise from this experience greater and stronger.  And, if there be any lessons we need to learn from all of this, 

help us to be teachable.

Strength, Love and Grace to you!  

Hugs,

Damarise

Survived Week 2

Just like no two weeks are alike in the physical classroom, virtual school is proving to be very similar.  Week 1, I had lots of correspondence with my students.  It was an adventure. They were excited, trying to figure it all out.  Week 2, crickets.  

At school, I'm always trying to create a space and a rhythm that will allow me to do what I need to do in a less busy but more effective way.  I find I'm doing the same thing in my virtual classroom  One little step I've taken this week to do this is I moved from my tiny office to another part of the house where I can spread out a little more.  

Another little step was the purchase of a green screen.  I follow Real Rap With the Reynolds on YouTube.  And, last week he gave a tutorial on how to use the green screen to add super cool backdrops to videos.  I totally want to learn how to do it.  I thought I'd have some time during

the day to figure that out.  Not yet.

Another little step which I think will result in a great benefit to both my kids and myself is to limit my lessons online to one lesson and one activity a day.  Last I week I just overdid it I think. I wanted to make sure that they had plenty to do.  Well, I did most of the work and if I received half of it back, I'd be surprised.  Working harder than the students is never a good idea.  Therefore, I'm hoping that if they see one activity they will feel more compelled to do one than if they see three.  Fingers crossed.  

One more little step which I think will bring great rewards is to RELAX, chill.  I need to stop worrying so much about my students.

Worrying is not going to change the fact that I have no control over this pandemic and have no control over what happens or does not happen in their homes.  My One Little Word for 2020 is "relax".  Boy, I had no idea.  I must confess I feel very weird working from home.  I've imagined in the past working from home, even felt jealous of those teachers who had the privilege.  And, maybe, just maybe, under normal circumstances I may have even enjoyed it.  But, it just doesn't seem right.  Nevertheless, I have decided to enjoy this time even if it comes in the middle of a mess.  Blessings sometimes come in unexpected packages.  There is a silver lining.  There is good that can come from it all.  And, that is what I 'm going to focus on.

Hugs and Blessings,

Damarise

Taking Middle Steps

It's Sunday, April 5, 2020.  I'm home.  

On a normal Sunday I'd be preparing for school the next day.  I'd be concerned with things like what would I take for lunch, what I'd wear, had I prepared for the parent teacher conference, did I make all the copies. . .  

I might've been worried about an important team meeting, the new employee coming on board, or even the tension I might or might not have had with a co-worker.  On the last week of school before the world changed, I was exceptionally busy and worried about the state writing assessment "imminently" coming in eight days.  Had we prepared the students well?  How will we make the best use of the 50 minutes a day we had with them?    

That very week we had a very important meeting with our ELA team and our AP to plan what are next eight teaching days before the Big Test would look like.  As the ELA academic leader, much of the planning fell on me.  Then, Friday came.  News of Covid-19 was increasing and, I must admit, the last thing I imagined was school closures.  I guess I'm the naive type.

At two o'clock the principal made an announcement for teachers to check their emails.  The email directed us to tune in to our TV's as she needed to address our entire faculty, staff and students.  As she spoke, I instantly felt, "wait -" "what?" She did a phenomenal job easing the information to us.  However, it was still blowing my mind.  

A few years ago I had planned to "transition", if you will, to a new blog title, "Taking Middle Steps". My former blog was called, "In Transition 678". I kept putting it off as new interests took over my time and blogging was put on hold.

However, now that the world has changed, and a new day is here, It just feels like the right time to "take 'middle' steps" towards our current "distance learning" journey and beyond.  It's time.  When we start anything new, I think taking it slow and steady will help us through the awkward initial launch.  This is the perfect opportunity to connect and share again about my journey as a teacher.  

Here are some things I'm doing to help me take these small steps with distance learning:

1.  I wake up at a similar time as I always did.  It is a work day and I want my mind to continue that working mindset.

2.  I try to eat something before turning on my computer. The last thing I want is my stomach growling during a Google Meets. 

3.  I shower and get dressed.  Staying in my PJ's doesn't really work for me. Getting dressed helps me to stay alert, awake and actively engaged in the tasks of the day.

4. I'm trying, trying, trying to establish a non-negotiable "clock out" time.  The week before we began distance learning, I was working all day long, even through the weekend.  And, it was our supposed "Spring Break".  Last week, my first week, was better; by Friday, it was good. At 5pm, my computer was closed and I disciplined myself not to answer an email.  Fingers crossed that I can keep this up.

5.  I'm also intentionally engaging in other interests while not on the clock, journaling, cleaning, reading, resting and, now, blogging again.  If I ever had a chance to set my own pace is now, if I don't, I have no excuse.

6.  I'm trying to keep things simple.  I'm not trying to rock the distance learning platform from the gate.  I'm hoping to learn one thing at a time, apply, and be ok with the outcome.  Being flustered shuts down my creativity and attitude.  So, "Keep it Simple Sunshine" is my distance learning motto.

7.  Celebrate something everyday in the middle of the storm.  If I don't, I will drift into the sea of anxiety and fear which I don't want to allow.  Gratitude, laughter and hope, three of my daily celebrations - 

I will end with this.  I am grateful to be a teacher.  I've never been prouder.  

I pray this week will be better than last week for you and for me.  I pray that you will find ways to make this journey safe and smooth for you, your family and your students.

Hugs and blessings, 

Damarise