The Recognition

 

With 2 good sized snows this week, we only attended real school for 1.5 days. At the beginning of the week kids played outside and teachers stayed in jammies, but by the end of the week we were required to e-learn. That's where everyone simultaneously attempts to get on a digital meeting in order to learn.

E-learning days are stressful for people like me who tend to stress over things whenever possible.  This one had its ups and downs, as per usual. Some kids could see and/or hear me, some could not.  Some kids easily joined the meeting, others had parents emailing me repeatedly that they could not join the meeting. Some kids cooperated, other kids held up cats and toy cars to the camera while making random noises. One kid was disappointed when I denied his request for a tour of my home.

With the kids who were present both physically and emotionally, we read and wrote and mathed.  Learned a bit about tundra swans. Looked at some fossils.

I gave the morning a 4 on the fist of 5 scale, but the majority of 3rdLanders held up all 5 fingers.  One cheerful boy said, "I love e-learning.  We're all together.  I actually feel a little sorry for my sister 'cause she does e-learning just on her iPad. All by herself. She doesn't get to have what we have--- all this!"  He waved his arms around strangely. I've got to borrow this kid's positive attitude I thought, but mostly I wondered how his sister's teacher was spending the morning. I was forced to remind myself yet again to mind my own business and to move along. 

After the meeting ended, I waited for recognitions to roll in. Surely someone would want to compliment me for  educating our nation's youth on a glitchy, developmentally inappropriate platform with snow falling and calling from right outside the window. Where were the bouquets and statuettes?  Simple emails of gratitude?

 It took awhile to get my head on straight, to realize I would receive no rewards that day.  

I made a cup of tea, pulled the big chair over near the bay window and gathered my notebook and tome stack. 

An afternoon off would have to be almost reward enough. 

2 plastic mastodons are buried under this snow.  Just like the ice age.

Note the absence of gift packages.