Day 16 - Governor Newsom imposes new restrictions

12/2/20. Tuesday

7:30 - my alarm goes off and I lay there, exhausted. At 8:00, I go downstairs and wake up the dog. We go outside and she goes potty. Back inside and turkey pieces for her, lemon water for me.

8:30 - 1:00 - I go to work. The students have a documentary and a video quiz. Today, it is blessedly quiet. I take the time to calculate and post Final semester grades for Specialty Class No. 1 at College No. 1. I just want this semester to end.

A student emails me from College No. 1 - She has a 79.05% and wants to know what she can do to raise her grade. Nothing. This student didn’t even BOTHER turning in a major paper assignment - the rest of the students worked really hard on it. Had she at least made the effort - answered just ONE of the four prompts - she would have received a B in the class. Like I frequently say, “I hope it was worth it.”

Two students email me from College No. 1. One student says she was packing and helping her Dad move and forgot to take the Final yesterday. She wants to take it today. Can you believe that? No. You’ve been reporting to class every Monday, at 2:30, for 16 weeks, and the very last week, when it is most important, you forget to come to class? Sorry. The Final is closed and I already posted the Semester grades. The student emails back, “Great - now my grade will drop a full letter grade, from a C to a D.” Yep - that’s what happens when you miss the Final. I love how the students harangue me as if it is somehow my fault for their incompetence.

The other student emailed me at midnight - the Final closed at 5:30 p.m. - saying that she had Covid-19 and could not take the Final, but wants to take it now, instead. What am I supposed to do? The semester ended at 5:30 p.m. yesterday and semester grades are already posted. Also, it sounds like her case of ‘rona’ is, at least, mild; otherwise, why would she want to take the Final right now?

You know, if the student would have emailed me DURING the Final, between the hours of 2:30 and 5:30…maybe a frantic message like, “I’m sick and getting tested. Can you please hold the Final for me?” I might have been able to do something. But emailing me at MIDNIGHT? If you could email me at midnight, why couldn’t you let me know during the class period? It doesn’t make any sense. Nevertheless, the semester is over and I tell her so. As a result, her grade dropped from a B to a C. At least she didn’t get a D, like the idiot who was moving boxes and “forgot.”

The student launches into a campaign of what can best be described as harassment and I’m not exaggerating. Numerous emails from her saying I’m not empathetic enough, we’re in a pandemic, etc., I’m the devil (Nah, I made that one up), ending with a play-by-play of her day, hour by hour - like my blogs - of her Covid-19 experience. This is crossing into territory I’m uncomfortable with… I do NOT want access to her medical information or history and I NEVER requested that. I actually never doubted her…I just don’t understand why she would email me at MIDNIGHT that she is unable to take the Final, when the Final is from 2:30-530.

So, now it’s time to cover myself because she seems to be gearing up to make some kind of case against me…for what, I’m not sure. I send a lengthy response stating that I’m uncomfortable with her sharing her medical information with me and at no point did I EVER request proof of her medical condition. She sends more emails, but I stop reading them.

I finish posting the grades for Specialty Class No. 1 - this class is done. Another one in the can.

These responses took so long and I still have the final Socratic Seminar papers to grade for Specialty No. 2 class on Thursday. I have the terrible realization that I am not going to finish grading these papers in time. Thursday is the last day of the semester for this class - I have to finish. But, I am sooo tired.

1:30-2:00 - I heat up a piece of the vegetarian pizza that L. and R. ordered last night and read a Money Diary.

2:00-5:00 - I take a nap.

5:00-1:00 - Grade papers in complete silence in order to work as fast as possible. I stop briefly to have some pieces of turkey.

1:00-3:00 - Downstairs and I manually load the Final for Specialty Class No. 2, one question at a time, 4 multiple-choice responses for each question. There are 50 questions.

-While I’m doing that, I scan the 8 papers that I’ve completed so they are ready to pass back to the students.

-3:00-5:00 - Still scanning and I grade 3 more papers.

-5:00-6:00 a.m. - I take the dog out and lock everything. Nighttime routine and bed.