The Coronacation Diaries, Episode 32

The Procrastination Episode: Preparing to Teach My Blow-off Class

I don't wanna.

This week, our district started its "virtual learning" program, transitioning all courses to a modified, online delivery. It's "school light," because there is just no way that we can expect or should expect our students to be able to do school for 6 or 7 hours a day, when they may have so much else on their  literal and metaphorical plates. We've contacted every family and provided devices and helped troubleshoot connectivity, and we've built a schedule for teachers and students that includes office hours, and daily and weekly expectations. It's all very doable and very common sense, and it allows us to continue to encourage student learning, while recognizing that there are many barriers in the way. I'm actually very proud of my district and what they have pulled together, in terms of expectations and clarity of message to students and stakeholders.

Even before the plan was in place, I'd already been teaching AP Lit online over the last 4 weeks, to give my AP students the chance for some sense of normalcy, and to help them continue to prepare for the exam and for college. 6/15 students have participated, but I am proud of those 6 who have consistently shown up for Zoom meetings, written essays, and asked for feedback. Creating meaningful learning opportunities in an online platform is not ideal, but at least for AP-level students, planning to go to 4-year universities and beyond, it has future applications.

Moving my junior English students into an online curriculum isn't overly difficult either. My classes were already "blended," meaning that both technology and face-to-face/pen-and-paper interactions were common and required. I have a plan for these classes; and as long as students check in to Google classroom, they will have every opportunity to be successful in the course and to learn a few things as we go. Although only 32/75 of them have accessed the resources I posted yesterday, I am hoping that many more of them will, soon. (Especially since, if they don't, I have to call parents. And that is a LOT of phone calls to make. I hate making phone calls. Send wine.)

My independent study contemporary writing students were already online, so they are fine. Carry on. Nanowrimo with your bad selves.

But my public speaking class? I don't wanna. 

Photo by Pedro da Silva on Unsplash

It's not a huge class --only 27 students-- but most of them took it as a blow-off class. They weren't really interested in learning how to be a better public speaker; they just wanted a no-homework class. And normally, I love teaching the class, because it really does help them build confidence and become better speakers and writers. It's also a "limited grading" class, since the major grades can be done in the moment, as they perform. Win/win!

But now I have to teach public speaking online. To students who can't go out in public. For students who really didn't want to take the class in the first place. And I know that I can create meaningful experiences with online speech genres like TED talks and podcasts, but I don't wanna. Because, honestly, it's my blow-off class, too. Normally, I don't have to write lesson plans, because I have the entire course built online, with every day mapped out. Normally, I don't have to curate resources, because I already have those linked and I can just play them in class. Normally, I don't have many papers to grade, because the daily work is credit/no credit and the final speeches are scored on a rubric while they talk. Normally, it's a low-key, stress-free teaching experience.

I have to have a plan in place and lessons posted by 9 a.m. tomorrow.

This isn't very stress-free at the moment.

'Cause I just don't wanna.