Hybrid Teaching Sit Rep (this turned into a bit of a rant)

"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher) 09/25/2020 at 23:37 • Filed to: Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

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Let me see if I can explain how my job works right now. We’re teaching “hybrid,” which means something slightly different in every school district that is doing it. For me here’s how that goes.

Group A shows up Monday and Tuesday, while group B works remotely. I still have to take attendance for group B, so I have to jump on a Zoom call for them, while the in person kids filter in. Then I have to take attendance for all of them, the process for which I shit you not has changed like a dozen times already, each time taking more time, and we’re only a month into the school year.

Group B shows up Thursday and Friday, while A works remotely. That process flip-flops.

Now, some students are AB students, they come everyday but Wednesday. These are kids who are either special ed, or ELL (english language learners).

Everybody is remote on Wednesday.

Oh, and then there are the kids who are fully remote. Now, in functional school districts with leaders that know which end of their schwance to hold, those students get assigned to teachers with remote only assignments. We don’t have any of those in our district.

OK, so come Monday-Tuesday, and some come Thursday-Friday, and some come Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and some don’t come at all ... AND THEY’RE ALL IN THE SAME CLASS AND I HAVE TO TEACH THEM ALL AT THE SAME TIME!!!!!

Everybody got that? Good. There will be a quiz later.

Yeah fucking right, the last thing I need is more shit to grade.

OK, now the good news is I get to build things with kids again. I sorely missed this and am very much enjoying having them back in the building.

The bad news is my classes are only 31 minutes long. A good 5+ minutes gets eating by the cockamamie attendance procedures. Another 4-5 minutes gets eaten up by cleaning up at the end, because all the hand tools have to be wiped down, and all the tables have to be wiped down too. I’ll round up and say we get about 45 minutes of work time in person PER WEEK.

I’m having to cut shit right down to the bone. Make a ton of videos for instructions, because we do NOT have time for me to gather the whole class around ... not that we’re allowed to gather around anyways. I’m also having to do a ton more material prep work, because we don’t have time for the kids to do all the steps I would normally have them do.

I didn’t finish working tonight until 10:00, and I am not done for the weekend.

TL-DR: This blows!

Hammer Loaf for your time. He’s really thinned out on his low-carb diet.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > shop-teacher 09/25/2020 at 23:47

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Sorry for that.what are you using to wipe down? My friends That are teachers are  all out and they’re struggling to find cleaners.

And Hammer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

50ford500 > shop-teacher 09/25/2020 at 23:49

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It’s absolute madness from the parents side as well. Not that that’s any consolation mind you kudos to you and all the teachers out there slogging thorough this whole mess. 

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > shop-teacher 09/25/2020 at 23:49

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Remote learning is a shit show for most things right now, particularly things that are hands on like your ship class, music and art. I’m kind of like why even bother.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > shop-teacher 09/25/2020 at 23:50

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The beatings will continue until morale improves

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > shop-teacher 09/25/2020 at 23:54

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Group B?

CB > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 09/26/2020 at 00:02

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“Alright kids, we’re building a rally bus so we can leave this shitshow.”

AdamB > shop-teacher 09/26/2020 at 00:04

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That’s confusing to say the least. My school split is up into two groups by last name and switch each week, so I go in person next week. It’s been going well, some audio issues but good enough. We don’t use Zoom though. We’ve also been saliva tested every single week. I feel bad for teachers, having to do a lot of work on a regular basis and having to deal with remote learning and learning how to use more technology in the classroom. Good luck!

Chariotoflove > shop-teacher 09/26/2020 at 00:05

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You’re doing God’s work. Hang in. It makes a difference. My kid is two days in school and two remote. Hopefully we’ll go full in person soon. Everyone wants to.

It’s so much work to teach this way, and I hate teaching remote. It loses something from the experience.

Chariotoflove > 50ford500 09/26/2020 at 00:05

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Amen. 

shop-teacher > Chariotoflove 09/26/2020 at 00:10

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It loses a lot from the experience.

I will hang on there. I have bills to pay, and mouths to feed. So I shall have to grind it out.

shop-teacher > CB 09/26/2020 at 00:10

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If only!

shop-teacher > 50ford500 09/26/2020 at 00:11

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I know. I have a 2nd grader and a kindergartener on remote right now.

shop-teacher > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 09/26/2020 at 00:12

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I have to bother. The bank insists I pay them every month, and those girls of mine eat every damn day!

shop-teacher > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 09/26/2020 at 00:13

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Damn right they will!

shop-teacher > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas 09/26/2020 at 00:15

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Lol, diluted soap and water ... On porous wooden workbenches.

“The lawyers said it works”

Its been a while since Hammer made an appearance :)

BaconSandwich is tasty. > shop-teacher 09/26/2020 at 00:28

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Makes me wish I could help make instructional videos for you or something. Although having never taken shop class, I'm sure I've got some bad habits you probably don't want taught. :P

shop-teacher > BaconSandwich is tasty. 09/26/2020 at 00:40

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Yeah, I only want them learning my bad habits :D

LastFirstMI is my name > shop-teacher 09/26/2020 at 00:40

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Day before yesterday the school notified us that after school our special needs 8th grader would ride the bus to the high school, wait 15 minutes, get on the bus with all the high schoolers, then an hour later arrive at a bus stop almost half a mile from our house. What could possibly go wrong with such a brilliant plan?

Today they left him at the middle school. Luckily one of his amazing  teachers brought him home. What a year. We need to support teachers and local bars by allowing teachers to teach their distance classes from their local pub.

shop-teacher > LastFirstMI is my name 09/26/2020 at 00:42

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Whoa! That is a cluster-fuck of a plan!

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 09/26/2020 at 00:43

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I teach 8th grade math and I feel more effective on full remote than I ever was babysitting 35 kids in a classroom.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Chariotoflove 09/26/2020 at 00:45

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I feel much less inadequate teaching remotely.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > shop-teacher 09/26/2020 at 00:46

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And in between those 31-minute classes? The kids mingle and swap cooties?

Svend > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas 09/26/2020 at 00:51

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Hit up medical supply websites (general practitioner supply sites, sporting injury sites, etc...) even physiotherapy websites will stock hand sanitisers, cleaning agents, etc... gloves are the hardest to source, for them hit up any cleaning website not just medical but car cleaning supply websites, etc...

Svend > shop-teacher 09/26/2020 at 01:00

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I’ve a couple of friends who are junior school (I think U.S. eighth grade up), teachers. One mate said he drinks much more whiskey that he ever did since becoming a teacher and his wife drinks a lot more gin and tonic.

They’ve been teaching their classes all the way through the pandemic (way before the schools went back and they had to teach their classes again. It gave their lives a bit more structure during lockdown and helps avoid some of the cluster fuck that’ll come later on when the kids have to sit tests and exams.

This pandemic is going to have a massive knock on with obesity, mental health, education and test/exam results for kids, etc... not just in the near future but in later life too.

Hang in there mate. 

jminer > shop-teacher 09/26/2020 at 01:04

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Sorry man - that’s a bunch of nonsense. Hope it settles into some kind of rhythm soon for you and the kids.

Chariotoflove > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 09/26/2020 at 01:15

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Opposite for me. 

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > shop-teacher 09/26/2020 at 01:29

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I wish trump was right when he said it was all a hoax and would just go away like magic. Would have made everyone’s lives easier by now! I didn’t like remote classes when doing my masters and I was a fully functioning adult being paid by work to take the classes . I can imagine it just does not work for kids. Props to you for somehow keeping them engaged, teachers deserve way more respect than they get. 

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > shop-teacher 09/26/2020 at 02:21

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The teaching situation sounds no bueno, but Hammer looks awesome.

shop-teacher > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 09/26/2020 at 03:23

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We only have two minute passing periods, so they don’t have much time to do anything but get to class.

Core subjects get 65 minute classes.

shop-teacher > Svend 09/26/2020 at 03:26

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I don’t drink, but I’m thinking maybe I should start ;)

I totally agree about the long term consequences.

shop-teacher > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 09/26/2020 at 03:29

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That would be nice!

I've never liked being in online classes either. It does work for some kids, but not for most of them. I can't say I have them all engaged, but damnit I'm trying!

shop-teacher > jminer 09/26/2020 at 03:29

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I hope so too. I haven't worked this hard since I was a first year teacher!

shop-teacher > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/26/2020 at 03:30

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He is a very pretty kitty :)

shop-teacher > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 09/26/2020 at 03:32

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That’s awesome. You came up in conversation today. Have you gotten to use your she d studio yet?

shop-teacher > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 09/26/2020 at 03:36

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I v ery envious of that feeling. I felt like I did some neat stuff this spring, and made some great connections. With this hybrid stuff, I just feel like I’m drowning. The remote kids are non-responsive black rectangles, and the in-person kids are on and out so fast that I barely have time to say hi to them.

Jayvincent > shop-teacher 09/26/2020 at 04:08

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My SO has a similar plan with HS Science. They are required to teach live, so it’s the same lesson taught 3 times: once for A days, once for B days and a third time (recorded) for remote. When I asked why not record the A and B day live class and just sent it off to the remotes, I got a meaningful sigh in response....

I’m an engineer. This shit makes no sense. Here’s a plan that does (and the school admin had all summer to come up with one, but here we are):

Teach lesson 1 on Monday with A students live and broadcast plus record it , B students and remote students watch it remotely (either live or recorded) on Monday. Teach lesson 2 on Tuesday with B students live and the lesson broadcast and recorded for A students and remote students to watch. Repeat.

I did a whole MS degree this way: the Prof. taught live in-class students and I watched the recorded lessons remotely. If I had a question, he had live Q&A Zoom-chat twice a week after class. Is it “harder” to learn this way? Sure, but it’s still better than homeschooling, which 8.4% of my state thinks is a good option (pre-Covid numbers:   https://nccppr.org/homeschool-students-third-largest-district-north-carolina/#:~:text=In%20the%202016-17%20school,8.4%20percent%20in%202016-2017. )

Thanks for listening to my mini-rant. I feel sorry for ALL the teachers out there who are being asked to: be flexible, learn new skills on the fly, teach 3x as often, teach 2x as fast (less time per student), risk their lives, risk their families’ lives, withstand the 24/7 abuse of frustrated parents and students, all so they can collect slightly more than minimum wage “and get their summers off” (I know they don’t, but it’s the common refrain I hear when discussing the inequality of their pay for a LICENSED PROFESSIONAL).

vondon302 > shop-teacher 09/26/2020 at 06:35

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My wife’s fully remote and it’s not much better. She’s become the tech support person for her English group of teachers. The lack of preparation from her district is unbelievable. Cheers and hang in there.

Hammer is a great cat name btw.

shop-teacher > Jayvincent 09/26/2020 at 09:57

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Its actually worse for our core classes. While I am allowed to take attendance with my remote groups and send them off to do asynchronous work, the core teachers are required to teach their in person groups and their remote groups simultaneously. And interact with them both. How? Nobody knows.

The pay thing and sum mers thing I hear all the time, really burns my ass. You get it, but if I have to hear my pay compared to “the average worker” one m ore time, I’m gonna have to choke a bitch. Do you know how much education and training I had to go through? And yet you compare me to a factory line worker? ( Talking to them, not you).

I like to offer to switch jobs with them. You show a couple dozen 12-year olds how to use a miter saw without cutting their fingers off, fucker! Nobody has taken me up on that.

Of course nobody says shit to teachers to their face. In person they gush , but hiding behind their keyboards is another thing entirely.

John Norris (AngryDrifter) > shop-teacher 09/26/2020 at 10:00

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Well it certainly is important work you are doing and it won’t go this way forever. Hopefully you get back to normal soon.

This sort of thing really makes me appreciate normal and perhaps I shouldn’t have complained about trivial things back when things were more normal.

shop-teacher > vondon302 09/26/2020 at 10:00

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Its not like we had months to prepare or anything ... Oh wait ....

Funny thing, Hammer actually was shortened from Hamster. He only weighed one pound when we got him m. He was the size of a Hamster. Over time it ended up getting shortened to Hammer, which is fitting :)

shop-teacher > John Norris (AngryDrifter) 09/26/2020 at 10:26

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Thank you, I hope so too.

I think a lot of us are really going to appreciate normal, when we get back to it. I hope our memory of these times, lasts long enough for us to continue appreciating the little things we all miss so much.

DipodomysDeserti > Jayvincent 09/26/2020 at 10:47

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That system works alright for college students. It does not work well at all for younger kids. My wife and I are both teachers and will probably be taking our kids out of their now  online only school. It’s only making them frustrated and anxious to go to school. I’d rather have them hang out at a park playing with friends than doing this crap.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > shop-teacher 09/26/2020 at 11:20

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A cluster...

Thank you for everything you do for your kids! 

shop-teacher > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 09/26/2020 at 11:48

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Yep!

Thanks :)

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Chariotoflove 09/26/2020 at 12:03

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I respect that. For me, the alternative is standing in front of a room full of 35 13-year-olds. I’d hope that the students you are positioned in front of are a bit more thoughtful and a bit more cooperative.

But still: when the post mortem is complete, there will be good and bad to have come out of this. Many things will be good and I predict that there will be a chunk of kids for whom this will be how they are schooled indefinitely and if and when this is so, I want to be one of the teachers serving them.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > shop-teacher 09/26/2020 at 12:05

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I love it. I am fully equipped out here, but I also work inside when I have a bunch of computer work to do, so both locations.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > shop-teacher 09/26/2020 at 12:07

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What you describe is complete and total madness.

How many times per week each class at 65 minutes? (That’s about 15 minutes too long, IMO...)

shop-teacher > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 09/26/2020 at 12:52

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I definitely agree that there will be some good out of this. It has forced some good innovations. For myself, I have for years thought it would be good to make how to videos for students who were absent during my demonstrations, or needed to see things again. I never made the time to learn how to shoot or edit videos. I’m still not great at that, but I’m serviceable at it.  I will be able to use these videos and skills for the rest of my career. Considering I have the better part of two decades to go, is not an insignificant amount of time.

shop-teacher > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 09/26/2020 at 12:54

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That’s fantastic. I am super happy for you.

Also ... SQUUUEEEEEE!

I have decided what I am going to make for you.  Now to find the time to actually make it :)

shop-teacher > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 09/26/2020 at 13:00

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Two days a week for most, but some four days a week, and some fully remote. And they have to teach all three of those groups simultaneously. Core teachers are not allowed to do anything asynchronously.  I at least can take attendance of the remote kids, and then send them off to work on their own . None of our teachers are assigned to remote only sections. All staff are required to be in the buildings, health concerns or not. If you’re immune - comp romised, you can take FMLA, or FCCLA(?) , or quit.

It is batshitcrazy pants.

MiniGTI - now with XJ6 > shop-teacher 09/26/2020 at 13:18

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Yeah was following a bro truck with REOPEN DISTRICT SO AND SO stickers. LET THE PARENTS DECIDE. so there’s no teachers involved so no need to find a way to pay anyone extra for a ton of extra work, right.

So infuriating. Talk about entitlement. 

shop-teacher > MiniGTI - now with XJ6 09/26/2020 at 13:24

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YEEEEEPPP!!!!

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > shop-teacher 09/26/2020 at 14:05

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At your l ei sure. When I get my life under control -- I was pretty much meltdown yesterday and slept until 8 am today -- I’ll crate up that bike carrier for you.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > shop-teacher 09/26/2020 at 14:07

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Agreed. I’m kind of passive-aggressive, which is a clinical way of saying procrastinator . As I roll things into my practice, making the videos you describe will become a part. As it is, I am recording ALL  of my Zoom meetings for my own protection and some of that material may be very useful.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > shop-teacher 09/26/2020 at 14:08

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Crazy Town.

shop-teacher > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 09/26/2020 at 14:42

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At your leisure as well. The bike carrier will likely not be installed until next year.

I came very close to meltdown Thursday night. Last night I was too tired. I had to write this post, to get these thoughts out of m y head. I slept until 8:30, and would have slept longer if my daughter hadn’t woken me up. I needed that.

I spent a couple hours finishing my grading this morning. Everything else will have to wait until Monday.

shop-teacher > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 09/26/2020 at 14:46

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That’s smart. I have been pre- recording my demonstrations, so kids who mi ss it can still see it, and kids who are confused can rewatch it as many times as they need.

I like screencastify for recording what I doing on my desktop, or webcam, or document camera. I use WeVideo to edit videos I m ake in the shop, that need a actual editing. My district pays for both, but they also have free versions. If you’re a google school, they drop right into your drive.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > shop-teacher 09/26/2020 at 17:24

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I am aware of screencastify. Right now, my setup uses an application called many Cam which lets me tie together multiple cameras on the computer to one virtual camera. That app does recording so I've been using that and then a open source video editor called shotcut. That's a thing about me, where I'm sort of obsessed with the idea of doing things myself. So I would rather have the learning curve of getting used to this video editing software rather than using some app that's web-based. Not faulting screencastify or any of the rest, just saying how I usually wind up working. But that recording lessons thing is a thing I need to start doing or else perhaps making the lectures that I record available to the students on YouTube.

Chariotoflove > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 09/26/2020 at 20:42

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I find one or a few students that I can make a connections with, and I use them to feel like I’m having a conversation, albeit a somewhat one-sided conversation. Before long, students start conversing back, and then it gets fun. It’s so much harder to do that in little windows on the computer with everyone’s mic on mute. But I’m managing. All my teaching is online this semester, except for the gross anatomy lab I have planned. I’m looking forward to that one.

shop-teacher > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 09/26/2020 at 21:15

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Hey, whatever works for you!

I have Adobe Premiere on my school computer , which I want to learn. The only problem I’ve had with WeVideo, is waiting for things to upload and process.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Chariotoflove 09/26/2020 at 21:36

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I think any anatomy lab sounds gross. Perhaps as much as anything I am enjoying simply shaking things up. But even if I am in the same room with them all again, there will be a chromebook on everyone's desk every class from here on.

Chariotoflove > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 09/26/2020 at 21:50

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A lot of things will change permanently. 

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Chariotoflove 09/26/2020 at 23:45

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Hopefully, not all of those changes will be for the worse.

Chariotoflove > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 09/27/2020 at 00:07

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I’m hopeful.