Monday, September 7th, 2020:
It is Labor Day, and with the exception of laundry and dishes, I have taken a break from most labor. Writing and karate are both labors of love, so it is an ideal time to add an entry to this site.
Regarding personal fitness: after my shodan test, I’ve continued to do push-ups, sit-ups and squats in the morning but primarily push-ups in the evenings. I also still run on the treadmill about two days a week. Maybe I can lift weights, or find different exercises to do, in order to mix up my routine. I want to maintain my level of fitness, but no longer feel a need to do knuckle push-ups on bare floors. I use a mat in the mornings, but the floor in the evenings because it’s faster. This week I have reached “meditation” week. On Sensei’s advice, I rest from exercises, with the exception of karate class and cardio, on the fourth week. I do need to meditate today. Hopefully meditating more this week will give me a bit more to write about!
Challenges of Distance Learning
Our household has been adjusting to school over Zoom. I recently received a letter from a sister in North Carolina. She asked how the kids have been adjusting to school during the pandemic. I’d like to share my response. When the pandemic is over, remembering how we coped may be interesting.
Here it is.
During the first week of school, Zoom class presented us with some surprises. D had set up both kids with computers in the dining room a couple years back. They did much of their homework side by side, in the dining room. Before the pandemic, having the kids next to each other in the dining room, doing homework, didn’t present issues.
When the pandemic shut down the schools last March, they were ready to go on-line, and did fine. During our first week of school this semester, however, we encountered serious issues. D put video cameras and headphones on each computer, and we assumed that was all we would need to do.
When Pre-Calculus and Band Collide!
On Wednesday morning during the first week of school, F had Pre-Calculus at the same time that S had Band. F’s teacher decided to give a pop-quiz style assessment. She wanted to make sure her kids were in the correct math level, and properly prepared for the coming year. So F was taking a test.
S’s Band teacher, generously wanting to make band fun for children who had not yet been able to pick up their musical instruments from the school, or purchase ones, had her students seek household items that could be used as instruments. So, while F took an exam, S literally banged on a pot next to her. He got up, tore about the house in search of some item as instructed by his teacher, returned to his spot and started “playing” whatever household item he’d found. S even asked F where certain household items were to be found. F responded, “Shut up! I’m in the middle of a test!” So his assignment that day was a cross between a treasure hunt and a home-made drumming session. It looked fun. Hers was not fun.
Needless to say, F did not do well on her exam. Fortunately, her math teacher did not count the test as part of their grade, but she strongly recommended that any student who did not do well change to a different math class. F was distraught. We emailed the teacher to let her know what happened to F. For the next week, D sat with F to review math material to make sure she actually understood the math she needed for Pre-Calculus and felt prepared for the coming year.
Snails race to rescue unsuspecting students from logarithms
Okay, I have to post this really cool video that D used to review logarithms with F. Just as I depended upon a humble earth worm to guide me through Tabata, this instructor, whose witty handle is NancyPi, employs the snail to help students solve logarithms. I loved this video so much I posted it at work, too.
Lessons Heeded
Now, on Mondays and Wednesdays, F has a laptop set up in her room while S is downstairs in the dining room. So now, if he’s playing household items or even his flute while she’s taking a test, she can simply shut the door.
So distance-learning has presented some challenges that we needed to overcome. Now our kids, and we, are pretty tech-savvy. If we were thrown off by, say, not anticipating that a middle schooler’s schedule might hamper a high schooler’s schedule, I really feel for those families that are less tech savvy.
One of our friends has a son with autism, and for a child like him, Zoom is no substitute for in-person learning. Burbank is considering opening the schools for children with disabilities, ESL learners and children with individual learning plans–basically for kids who need extra help. I sincerely hope they are able to work out a way to safely get these kids back in school, with the personal instruction they need.
