Read on Twitter
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
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
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.
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.
