Let me tell you some things most people don’t know about that “bunch of online assignments being posted” (a thread) 1/14 https://twitter.com/nhannahjones/status/1258823256360005632

My colleagues and I were lucky (LOL!) We suspected that we wouldn’t return to school, so we spent the last half of our spring break creating WEEKS worth of lessons for #distancelearning 2/14

We planned 5 weeks of BEAUTIFUL instruction that included reading, writing, recorded & written instruction, directions on how to access and write & speak about experiences like visiting virtual art exhibits, streaming operas, seeing virtual museum visits... 3/14

Again, all while Ss read text they chose (from a selection WE curated) and wrote persuasively + informatively (TEKS) about what they’re experiencing in real time. 4/14

During the first 2 weeks of rollout, I called almost all home adults, sent emails and scheduled 12 zoom meetings. How many Ss completed 2 weeks of work? 17

17/183 students 5/14

Okay, cool. The district I work for decided our curriculum needed to be more streamlined across the board, so they roll out an online program that each student will have equal access to. Do I have a say? Nope. 6/14

So what do I do now that I’m not creating content because “the system” said so? I grade. I call my students. I hold zoom meetings multiple times a week. I play computer technician. I call home adults and do welfare checks. I sit through hours-long professional development 7/14

I sit through meeting with other Ts who have NO CLUE what the next weeks or next years of our careers look like. I communicate my S’s needs to our admin. I reset passwords. I call the district help desk. 8/14

I’m also responsible for several seniors who will not graduate if I don’t advise for their English projects that they have to stress over on top of living through a pandemic. Oh! And I have toddler who requires my attention 24/7. 9/14

I “grade” every single assignment in the online platform so my students can move on to the next assignment. I play counselor for my Ss who are scared. I assure my Ss that they will pass because I’m “grading” on completion... 10/14

Because I know that some of them don’t have electricity. Last week, I met with some of my Ss and we read poetry together and I had to reassure them they’d get credit for that because the program THE SYSTEM instituted doesn’t count analyzing poetry as a testable skill 11/14

Every single day (weekends included) I call students and home adults to check in to ensure that they’re okay, because I can’t see their faces and I live in fear that I’ll never see them again. I also never stop answering their calls and I don’t have office hours 12/14

All of this is on top of the very real threat of a deadly illness that is attacking our community of color pretty hard, thus dealing with the pervasive and institutionalized racism at the heart of @nhannahjones’s work. 13/14

This isn’t on teachers. You mad? WE GET IT. We’re mad too! As a matter of fact: WE’VE BEEN MAD. Talk to your school boards, your legislators and your decision makers, but do not demean us because you have no clue

fin 14/14

Sorry, not fin:

All THIS is just working through pandemic lite, IMO. I’m not in an epicenter helping Ss deal with omnipresent death, and/or dealing with the illness/deaths of my family/friends/neighbors/colleagues like SOME teachers. THOSE teachers should get all the things.