Day 8 - Teachers are eligible for the vaccine.

Working on posts for my French Cinema class…

3/8/21. Monday. Spring Break at College No. 1 - I have to get some work done this week.

10:00  - 11:00 - After lying in bed for awhile and listening to The Daily, I finally get up. Downstairs and the dog is standing up against the child gate at the foot of the stairs, wagging her tail, whining.  She runs to the ottoman and turns over on her back so I can rub her tummy.  After just one rub, she jumps down, grabs her toy, and heads outside.  She must really have to go!  I go outside, too, and see that she pooped in two areas on the patio.  Great.  I clean it up while she does her business. Return inside for her treat – chicken – and my ‘treat’ – coffee.

-Kitchen duty.  I listen to What a Day.

11:00 – 12:30 - Although I really want to go right to work and get started on the next assignments for my DE class, I force myself to complete the activities that I find contribute to my mental and physical ‘wellness.’  I know this sounds “woo-woo”, but generally I feel better after a) walking  my dog or just spending some time outside; b) reading; c) gardening; d) working on my French Cinema class; and e) journaling [blog posts]. If I don’t prioritize these activities, I’ll spend the entire day working and doing things like class prep, emailing students, recording lectures, completing the endless paperwork involved in being an adjunct instructor at TWO colleges, etc. These things, although intellectually stimulating, don’t particularly “fill me up.” I like my DE class and find it challenging, albeit frustrating at times, but ultimately, this is a work-related project that tends to snowball into more work-related activities. I categorize my DE class as “work.”

So, having said all of the above:

-Blog posts

-12:30 – 1:30 – I have a few pieces of salami, cream cheese, and cucumbers (leftovers) from L.’s cheese plate and read In the Shadow.

1:30 – 2:15 - I get dressed in my Covid-19 uniform and take the dog for a walk. We do two laps around the ‘compound.’ There is nothing to do in the yard today. I listen to Slates – What Next.

2:15-3:30 – More In the Shadow.

3:30 –4:30 -  L. is working on another art project and painting something. I have so much work to do and am not motivated, whatsoever, to do anything. I ask L. to stop by Starbucks and Lady Di’s and pick up some “motivation” when she has time.

-I force myself to go to work.

-Although technically not considered “work”, I need to respond to two posts on the Discussion Board for my French Cinema class regarding the film I watched, Au Revoir Les Enfantes, before midnight.  Responding/posting on the Discussion Board is my least favorite activity in this class.  I gave it some thought and selected the two posts that I’ll be responding to.  Then, I start re-watching the movie and formulating my response, using quotes from the film.

I really don’t like this part.  I’m using the Eat That Frog approach [look it up].

4:30-5:30 – Still formulating my responses.  I’m pretty happy with what I’ve done so far and just need to tighten them up.

-L. returns with a tall coffee from Starbucks and two walnut brownies for me.  Thank god!  I have a few bites of the brownie and bring my coffee into my office.

5:30-6:00 – I finish my French Cinema posts well before the deadline.

6:00-8:00-Last week’s module for College #2 closed yesterday, at midnight, so I take attendance for my two classes, based on the quizzes they completed. As stated earlier, I have two classes, totaling 65 students from TWO high schools and ONE college class.  I should be getting paid for THREE classes...  Yeah, I’m bitter about that.

-Because this is a fully online class, every student who failed to complete the two quizzes assigned last week gets an email from me noting that they didn’t complete their assignments and asking if there is anything I can do to help.  Recall I’m being audited this semester…if this were any other time, I would not be ‘reaching out’ to the students.  If you don’t complete the work, it’s on you.  It takes too much time to send an email blast like this.

-I send an email blast to students in both classes directing them to the Discussion Board assignment for this week’s module.

8:00-12:00 – I work on my DE assignment for the next four hours. It involves adding every single activity from my Syllabus into a complex ‘matrix’, then labeling the assignments either ‘Formative’ or ‘Summative’, and listing the number of points next to each so I can address the “rubric component of the assignment.” Oh brother!  The ‘matrix’ is a template that Dr. W. provided, but it is too small for everything, so the font has to be shrunk to “9” and when that happens, the columns in the grid keep shifting and I have to adjust them, etc.  Honestly, this assignment is so awful.

I have Broadchurch going in a corner of my screen [Netflix], but find it too distracting so I just listen to it instead. The series is great and I can’t wait to actually watch it.  I finish my assignment coming in to Episode 5.

12:00-12:30 – I email the liaisons at both high schools and cc the Dual Enrollment coordinator that FOUR students are at risk of being dropped.  As we head into our fourth week, these students have completed NONE of the work, nor have they responded to my emails sent on 2/22 and 3/1, checking up on them.

12:30-1:30 – The Anonymous Grader actually opened two modules for me after he approved my last assignment. Module #13 is about Copyright Infringement. I read all the material and, surprise!!, I don’t have to actually submit a ‘formal’ assignment for this module. I’m on the “honor system” to ensure my class content meets copyright guidelines…yep, I’m good.

-I submit the revised matrix and my informal assignment for both modules.

1:30-2:30 – There is so much work I still have to do and that includes doing L.’s taxes and grading a stack of papers that came in last Monday.  Honestly, I’m pretty disappointed with myself.

-Kitchen duty and I get everything ready for tomorrow, preparing snacks and filling my “bike bag” with the things I’ll need.  I have to prepare everything tonight because if I don’t, I will not have a single second to do it tomorrow morning as I’m completely useless in the a.m.  I have to rely on “present self” to prepare everything for my “future self”…I know myself that well. I did the same thing before I was retired and I was always so grateful in the morning that “past self” had the foresight to make the morning as easy as possible. If you think ‘tri-furcating’ my existence into three selves is odd, read Off the Clock, an excellent book by Laura Vanderkam, containing her musings on time.

2:30 – 3:15 - Upstairs and I lay out my bike clothes for tomorrow and get everything ready for my shower.  Wipe down my mirror, counters, and sinks. Night time routine. Bed. I set my alarm for 8:15.