Keeping Your Head Above Water

Hello, fellow swimmers! Today's lesson is 'Keep Your Head Above the Water' - unless you're going in for the deep dive. In case you're wondering, I'm still only dipping my toes in at the shallow end, and truthfully, I'm happy to be there.

It has been a crazy time for most. We're learning to dance around each other in the house or apartment - older kids who are used to keeping their own hours - spouses who spend a good bit of their day out of the house and now find they're wandering around - and, while I remember those days as beautiful watercolors, young children who have just about had it with not being able to see friends, or go to the playground, and so on. We've been laughing at the memes and posts on Facebook about gaining weight from stress eating, or coming out of this as an alcoholic (no offense to anyone here!) - and laugh we should. We know that laughter is the best medicine. Laughter moves muscles deep inside, and the heartier the laugh, the more exercise we get! So, we laugh, and poke fun, and get as much exercise as possible!

There is a more serious side. I'm concerned for those whose family life isn't the best, what with all the added stress of lost work and wages, and people forced to spend more time than usual together. It is a good thing the shelters are still open for those who find their loved ones, who I'm sure still love them, might not be kind. Kindness - something we continually remind students of - needs to be practiced everywhere. PSA for the day - be kind.

Back to keeping my head above water. We're getting ready for 'distance learning' to roll out next week. This is considered a training week, where we prepare lessons and get things rolling (very little training!). There's only one problem: this isn't how we teach! So, while we might be preparing lessons, and finding cool things for them to see and do, it's a whole new mindset. Great for times when the teacher can't be there, or if the student has been absent, or is at home with illness, but not for an extended time. "Keep it simple" is the best motto for this time, and my friend Cynders reminded me yesterday that all will be well - just roll.

But I can't access all of my classes - a small SNAFU that I'm hoping the tech department can work out before Monday. And, after several failed attempts, I was finally able to get my online gradebook loaded onto my computer. I don't know if it downloaded or uploaded, but it's on there! Tomorrow I plan on playing with Google forms and docs, and learn how to best put things on this online platform. Youtube has become my best friend this week!

One thing I would like everyone to remember - not that I'm using it as an excuse, because we all know what Big Brother says about those (excuses are like a--holes: we all have them, and they all stink!) - I graduated college before the PC was a household item. I recall one of the mathematics professors excitedly taking us to the Macintosh lab. I learned to move the cursor (called the Turtle) up, across, down, and back - Oh look, a square! No mouse - and we didn't move it with the arrows. It was coding. Everything was done by coding. Word wasn't a thing, spreadsheets were papers used by accountants, and the internet didn't exist.  These computers were super expensive, and not for general purposes. They were meant for a school setting. The school where I first taught bought a few Commodore 64s. If you have any computer knowledge, you're probably rolling on the floor with laughter. By the way, I didn't have to use the darn things - the math teacher did!

I've adapted a lot, but  there are a few things that just don't come up as an art teacher, like doing much on a computer. Maybe I should use docs and forms more; maybe it will only drive me crazier than I already am! If I could, I'd probably retire, make way for the younger generations to come in and use all this brilliant know- how. But, I would miss it. I like teaching them the rudimentary ideas of art - how to use color, line, forms, and how they work together. I like playing with new materials, and getting them to play with them, exploring and getting their hands dirty with paint and clay. This is what childhood should be - getting dirty and learning through exploration and experimentation. Many kids tell me they don't have paints or playdoh at home - mom thinks it's messy. It's my job, my duty then, to give them that experience.

One mom recently said her daughter is sad because we were starting weaving, and she was so looking forward to that. 6th grade was elbow deep in clay - some done; some just starting. It was downright eerie walking into my classrooms yesterday and today, looking at partially finished projects, sitting where they'd been stored, no children in the room. Very science fiction-like.

So, I'll learn how to use docs and forms. They're not going to be perfect - they probably won't even be pretty - but hopefully, they'll do the job!

How are you keeping your head above water these days? Are you baking? Walking? Playing a musical instrument? Writing? Playing video games? I still plan on working on the creativity in the studio, playing with all the wonderful supplies I'm so fortunate to have at my disposal. So, drop on by the Stress Pool, and we'll chat up some ways to stay purposefully occupied!
Anything to keep our hair dry!