rose_griffes (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rose_griffes) wrote2020-03-26 07:48 pm
rose_griffes) wrote2020-03-26 07:48 pm
Entry tags:
It's been a year and a half since this week started
There are things I do appreciate about the current situation and my life specifically within it. I'm not currently in danger of losing my paycheck or job. I don't feel exhausted by the end of the day--a common problem when I'm teaching. [Insert rant here about the number of hours we teach each workday.] But wow, I miss my students and co-workers. I'm feeling a bit adrift without the routine of things, and I'm struggling with how to keep students engaged in learning at a distance.
(Yes, teachers are doing all sorts of things to share with each other what we're learning about that, but it's a rather steep learning curve, y'know? Also, some of the ideas are... less well-thought out, to say the least. They depend on having The Ideal Student who Always Does Their Work and Would Never Misbehave Online. Oh, and who has access to their own computer and internet at precisely the times specified.)
Anyway. In addition to slogging through online meetings, emails and text messages galore with my work teammates, I've been re-reading Courtney Milan's Brothers Sinister romance novel series. Absolutely taking refuge in the comfort food of banter, overcoming past traumas, and happily ever afters.
Also baking. Which is weird; I've never really been much for baking, but I was craving zucchini bread. This gluten-free recipe was a winner as long as you put butter on it. (Mmmm, butter.)
What should be coming up next: a bit of sewing. I found out from a friend that a local nursing home has ZERO masks for its staff; they're on backorder. Fabric masks are not ideal, but they're better than nothing. A group of workers spending their time with the elderly--the people most at risk for a fatal encounter with the Coronavirus--should definitely have some kind of protective gear while working with that population.
(At the very least, wearing a mask will make it less likely for someone to touch their own face. Even that might help a little.)
(Yes, teachers are doing all sorts of things to share with each other what we're learning about that, but it's a rather steep learning curve, y'know? Also, some of the ideas are... less well-thought out, to say the least. They depend on having The Ideal Student who Always Does Their Work and Would Never Misbehave Online. Oh, and who has access to their own computer and internet at precisely the times specified.)
Anyway. In addition to slogging through online meetings, emails and text messages galore with my work teammates, I've been re-reading Courtney Milan's Brothers Sinister romance novel series. Absolutely taking refuge in the comfort food of banter, overcoming past traumas, and happily ever afters.
Also baking. Which is weird; I've never really been much for baking, but I was craving zucchini bread. This gluten-free recipe was a winner as long as you put butter on it. (Mmmm, butter.)
What should be coming up next: a bit of sewing. I found out from a friend that a local nursing home has ZERO masks for its staff; they're on backorder. Fabric masks are not ideal, but they're better than nothing. A group of workers spending their time with the elderly--the people most at risk for a fatal encounter with the Coronavirus--should definitely have some kind of protective gear while working with that population.
(At the very least, wearing a mask will make it less likely for someone to touch their own face. Even that might help a little.)