Day 8 - Governor Newsom imposes new restrictions

Regular, chaotic, school day…

11/23/20. Monday.

7:30 – 8:00 - Can I just say that I hate this detox?  I feel miserable and no coffee for me on this plan!! I drag myself out of bed and say good morning to the dog.  I rub her tummy three times and we go outside.  There are no accidents today! What a surprise. She goes potty and we go inside. Bacon for her, cheese for me.  I make a cup of green tea but it is no substitute for my coffee.

8:00 – 11:00 - I go to work. One class this morning. The Discussion Board isn’t done yet. I have 30 minutes to create a Discussion Board prompt.  The students are listening to a lecture today, so I create the prompt to reflect the subject material, then post.

The students are not doing much this morning, so I immediately set everything up and start recording my 2:30 lecture for Specialty Class No. 1. I stop at  1 hr/15 min, so this will be Audio Lecture – Part I. I drink a Pressed Juicery – Green I throughout.

Checking today’s morning class, the “dumbest student I’ve ever taught” sends me three emails back-to-back containing screen shots that I can’t interpret and no explanation.  I ignore him and don’t respond.

Back to recording.  I record the last hour of lecture for the 2:30 class. This will be labeled Audio Lecture – Part II.

Class ends and I update attendance while hanging around to see if students have questions. I record a Public Service Announcement for my 2:30 class, giving them important information about the Final. Then, I check Google-Share to see if L. completed the slides I sent her last night.  She did and they look great!  I have two small changes.

11:00 – 12:00 - I wake up L. and ask her to airdrop my audio lectures.  She is leaving at 2:30 today to hang out with R. – he’ll play video games, L. will do some homework. I give L. my edits for the Google slides, she fixes everything, and then posts them to Canvas.

Downstairs and I create a Discussion Board for the 2:30 class. 

12:00-1:00 - I eat some of my leftover Ahi-Poke salad and read Money Diaries.

1:00 – 2:00 - Just enough time for a shower before class starts. Covid-19 uniform.

2:00 – 6:00 - Back to work. I check email for College No. 1 before class starts.

The same student from my Thursday Core Class who accused me of not responding in a timely manner when I had, in fact, responded after 10 minutes, again accused me of not replying to his follow-up email which occurred after class had ended. In my previous email to him, I had asked the student to respond in complete sentences, as it was difficult to decipher the constant string of emails that he kept sending, one on top of the other. He did not.

Now he is upset because I didn’t adjust his grade when it is unclear what assignment is at issue. He says is grade is suffering because of this. The student has a solid 75% in the class.  I email the student, again, and ask him to provide a summary of the problem, in complete sentences, so I will have a better understanding of the issue. I also add, “Your grade is not suffering. You have a solid C in the class.”  I don’t quite know what he is talking about. Sidebar:  I check emails around 6:00 p.m. and there is still nothing from the student.

4:15 – 5:00 – I post the documentary for the students then lay down on my office couch with the dog and take a nap.

5:00 – 5:30 – I post the documentary quiz.  At the same time, I see that my “anxiety disorder” student has emailed me, complaining that the chapter review quiz contains some information that was not provided in lecture. I respond that some of the answers may be found in the TEXT.  Imagine that.  Readers, just so you know, this is a 10-question, multiple-choice quiz that must be completed in THREE HOURS.

5:30 – Class is over and I’m so glad I never have to “see” these people again, although as things go, this was one of the better classes.  At 5:45, after the last lecture of the semester, when class has ended, the “anxiety disorder” student emails me that she is certain she completed a 10-question video quiz that was due on 10/25/20 and is refuting the score of 0 that she received.  Today is 11/23/20.

I respond, “It is unclear why you are emailing me about a quiz that was due 35+ days ago on the last day of class, after class is over. This should have been brought to my attention within 24 hours” but she is stepping all over me, sending me one email after another with strange screen shots of her “Insta” where she allegedly told people how great the video was, which means, as she asserts, that she absolutely MUST HAVE completed her 10-point video quiz.

It is hard to get a word in edgewise as she sends email after email.  Apparently, she finally reads the email that I sent and responds that “You know I have an anxiety disorder. It sounds like I am bothering you.  Sorry to BOTHER you.” Bingo! Yes, you are absolutely “bothering” me. I could care less if she has an anxiety disorder.  Does she think other people in this society will give a f—k?  Try telling that to an employer. 

I check the online grade book, on Canvas, and there is no evidence that the student EVER took the quiz.  I email her as much and the rapid email sequencing stops.

6:30-7:30 – I make a huge spinach salad with avocados, boiled eggs, zuchinni, tomatoes, EVOO, and sea salt.  Can I just say I miss cheese? I grab a bottle of Pelligrino and take everything upstairs.

7:30 – 9:00 – I have dinner and read Wiving.  I accidentally fall asleep in my chair.

9:00-12:00 – Nap.

12:30 – 1:00 - I take my tray downstairs, take the dog out, and shut everything down. I have a few bites of almond butter.

1:00-4:00 – I grade papers.  I feel like I’m not making any progress. I listen to the Do No Harm series.

4:00 – 4:30 a.m. – Night time routine. Bed.