Day 1 - Teachers are eligible for the vaccine.

Johnson and Johnson vaccine approved…

The FDA finally approved the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. While showing only 75% efficacy, none of the people in the J&J trial who received the vaccine were hospitalized or died from Covid.  Additionally, the J&J vaccine is only one dose and does not need to be stored at deep-freeze temperatures.

At the same time, effective today, teachers in California are now eligible to receive the vaccine. The LA County Dept. of Public Health dug deep into Tier 1B, pulled the teachers from the bottom of the barrel, and placed them at the front of the line. 

L. and I are now eligible for the vaccine as we’re both teachers.  She refuses to get vaccinated and I won’t take Moderna or Pfizer.  Seriously, people, why does everyone feel so sick after that second dose?  I’ve said this before, in prior posts…how many times have you been so sick after receiving a vaccine you were bedridden?  This is what medical providers are advising – on the day you’re scheduled for the second dose, call off sick from work and stay in bed the whole day.  There have been numerous accounts of people experiencing 104-degree fevers; extreme fatigue; and sore, achy muscles after dose #2.

My money’s on J & J and I’m going to hold out for that vaccine.  I’ve been suspicious of the sub-zero temperatures that the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines must be kept at …is it really happening?  How many medical facilities have the capability or equipment to keep the vaccines that cold?  I’ve often wondered if, in some of the smaller hospitals and medical offices, the vaccines were simply stored in a regular fridge, then administered to patients with “a hope for the best” mentality. You know…like if you eat chicken that may have been left out on the counter a little too long.  It looks okay but then you get  food poisoning later. 

3/1/21. Monday

9:00 – 9:30 - I’m up and I get dressed so I can take out the trash cans. Covid-19 uniform. Wash face. Brush teeth. I start a load of laundry, then go downstairs to say good morning to the dog.  She’s up and running around so we go outside and she does her business. Another beautiful, sunny day!  Back inside and chicken for her, coffee for me.

10:00-12:00 – I read The Hungover Games outside, at my patio table.    

12:00-2:00 – I go to work.  I launched this weeks’ course content for my three classes at College No. 2 and I need to make sure the students can access the assignments. Many of the students did NOT complete last week’s material [due yesterday at midnight] so I send a personalized email asking if they need help and directing them to the Dual Enrollment program for assistance.  I listen to The Daily and What a Day.

I take attendance for my classes based on completion of last weeks’ two quizzes, but some of the students didn’t do ANY of the quizzes.  This means they’re not attending class and the assignments have closed. I email the missing students and ask if they’re still interested in remaining in the class.

I’ve said before, everything is going so much smoother with College No. 2 now that we’re Asynchronous.  They work at their own pace while I simply “massage” the classes.  BUT, a lot of work goes into creating the ‘front end’ of this type of class to make sure the students are comfortable and can access the assignments. Once everyone is on board, the class runs itself. BUT, they’re still not “on board” yet.

I check email. Some students have questions about the class in general – I respond promptly.

2:00-5:30 – Core Class at College No. 1 starts.  There’s a lot going on today: 1) two separate AUDIO-lectures; 2) a Netflix documentary; 3) an alternate assignment if the student does NOT have Netflix [it turns out there are TWO students who request the alternate assignment]; and 4) a video quiz.  The two students who don’t have Netflix are reassigned a podcast.  When the students are finished with the podcast, I have to EMAIL them their podcast quizand then manually grade it. It’s a pain in the ass.

-I have a salad and leftover taquitos for lunch.  I read the most recent Money Diary.

-I check my DE class.  My assignment is STILL not graded.  Ridiculous!

-I send an email blast to the students – no class next week (Spring Break) and the Midterm is the following week.

-Several of the students received woefully low scores on the video quiz, meaning they didn’t watch the video.  I send emails to all students who scored a 6 or less on the video quiz admonishing them for NOT watching the video. I listen to several episodes of To Live and Die in LA, a recommendation from B.  This is a great series!

-I take the dog for a walk. No time for yard work today.  Picking up the dog poop is the only thing I can squeeze in.

6:00-9:00 – Specialty Class 1A begins.  There’s a lot going on.  Their papers are due today and there is:  1) a Discussion Board for Socratic Seminar participation points; 2) Lecture-PART I; 3) a documentary; 4) and a Video Quiz. The students have an hour to post their responses to the Discussion Board in accordance with my instructions before they can move on to the other class content.

-I prepare my script and music clips for AUDIO lecture – PART II while the students post to the Discussion Board. More listening toTo Live and Die in LA.

-The papers keep coming, one after another. I print out each one and confirm to the students that I’ve received it.

-I send an email blast to the students for this class – no class next week (Spring Break) and the Midterm is the following week.

-It looks like I have all the papers now.  The students start watching the documentary.  I take this time to record AUDIO lecture-PART II.

9:30 – 10:30 - Class ends and I hang around, fielding a few emails from the students.  I note those students who were absent today and send an email blast explaining that they will receive 0s on several important assignments that they missed.

-I update attendance for both classes today and listen to the Pop Culture Happy Hour.

-I review the Discussion Board for participation points and then post each student’s score to the online grade book.

10:30 - 11:30 – I really need to revise my Syllabus from College No. 2 to reflect the DE class guidelines (sigh).  I spend the next hour updating the Syllabus in accordance with the DE module I’ve just completed.  I think I’ve fulfilled the required criteria…

11:30-12:00 - I leave work (close my office door).  Yes, it’s official.  I’ve just had a 12-hour, non-stop ‘shift’ and I’m not happy about it.  I’m supposed to be retired.

-I pull my clothes out of the washer  - this is the load of laundry I put in this morning – and hang them up. I put socks and underwear in the drier.

12:00-1:30 – Blog posts and champagne.

1:30-2:30 – Night time routine and bed.