I hope this post finds you all healthy and safe.
It’s been almost 50 days since I’ve seen you last. That’s a long time. By the time we (fingers crossed) get back to school on August 1st, it will have been 141 days. Too long. Today would have been day three of tech for High School Musical. In class, we would be going through all of the notes from last night. We would start gearing up for a spring dance concert next week. The week after that, awards week. This was supposed to be a busy stretch. I miss being busy. I’ve tried to find other ways of being busy instead. I’ve been immersing myself in Photoshop. It’s a skill that I’ve been wanting to learn for a while. I’m mostly doing graphics for CCCEPA social media content. I miss building sets. I’ve replaced it these days with working in my yard. The two aren’t really related at all, but my yard has been neglected for almost a decade. It looks like someone who works too much lives here. Spring is always the best time for yard work, but I’m usually busy with all the things we should be doing right now. So I’m taking it out on shrubs. I don’t feel bad for them. I’ve been pressure washing stuff. If you’ve never done that before, it’s highly satisfying. I’ve replaced my normal power tools (whom I miss greatly!) with a weed eater. It’s just not the same. I’ll be honest with you, I don’t love “distance learning”. It’s not what I’m used to. I hate how it disconnects me from you guys. Many of you took the option to accept your grade on 3/13. I probably would have done the same in your shoes. The reality of it is that I don’t really have an option, so I’ve been trying my best to make it meaningful. I’ve been looking at new ways to explore design. It’s the most attainable subject outside of being in the theatre. I’ve been keeping Zoom class time regularly. I know you all hate lecturing, so I’ve been trying to keep that time for you - answering your questions, checking in, whatever you need. I’m still there. I’m getting tired of looking at screens. I’d rather be looking at faces. I’ve been thinking about my students a lot lately. Some of you, your summer started early. Some of you (fewer by the day), I see on a daily basis. Some of you, I have no idea what’s up. I know most of you are past online work and are in summer mode. Some of you are done with high school. Some of you have lost your motivation. I worry that tech is losing what we’re best at right now. The thing that makes tech so great is how tightly knit you all are. We’ve all been scattered. I worry that this time in history has weakened your relationships. I worry that it’s going to deeply effect our ability to function as a team. I’m not worried about your skills or knowledge, I know we’ll get that back quickly after we return. Do me a favor. Drop into a Zoom and say hi. Send me an email and let me know what you’ve been up to. Encourage each other to do the same. Have an idea to stay connected? Let me know about it. Have an idea for a topic to discuss for 5th period - send me a Remind text. It doesn’t matter to me if you’re still working in class, or you’ve taken the option - I still want to know how you’re doing. I still care about what’s going on in your lives. I miss your true stories, I miss your gripes, I miss your good news! I’m going to keep showing up on Zoom every day of school until May 20th, just in the off chance that someone new will stop by and catch me up. Here’s the schedule:
All the best, -Mr. Parker
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
May 2020
Categories |