OT: Other MGoTeachers Out There: What will you be doing the next month?

I'll be spending it teaching my 4 children because their teachers will be giving them online curriculum and worksheets all while working from home full time.  Sorry, but no time off for the rest of us.

I’m a principal and still have to go in each day. A lot still to do now, but in a couple weeks... not so sure that will be the case.  It’s going to be weird to say the least.

Thanks OP for mentioning meals. A lot of kids out there need the meals schools provide.  Get involved if you can.

A follow-up question to the administrators out there, was there any discussion on how working families (who count on schools as de facto day care) need a simultaneous solution?

Not trying to get political, just interested in how the decision making process evolved and if it crossed all the dependencies.

Personally business as usual just online focused, trying to keep students engaged with information not panic insanity. Keeping workloads light so they can deal while staying active. Probably modifying curriculum for the future with more online options. While I feel this won't be as bad as many are panicked about...it will have a lasting impact and change how everything is done. It's along the lines of 911 in life being different going forward. 

I have a regularly scheduled two-week spring break starting today, so the Oregon school closures won't abnormally impact me yet. However, I have canceled my trip to Connecticut next week for my mom's 80th birthday. And since the Oregon closures will almost assuredly end up being extended longer than two weeks, I'm getting resources ready and lesson planning for on online learning. 

The schools closing was the governor's decision, so not a whole lot administrators could do.

Preparing for next year. The middle school I work in is finally going 1:1 next year so I have a lot to prepare for it. This is a good chance to get a start on that.

I'm a teacher, but I mostly teach trombone lessons. A bunch of my students are switching over to lessons via FaceTime for a while, so I'll keep working that way. I've had a few gigs cancelled so far, but to be honest- I've got 25 students and my wife (also a musician) has 55, and she plays for four different orchestras around the state, so... we could use a bit of a break. We're gonna do some practicing and cleaning up the apartment too.

My wife's a teacher and we have two under-6 kids, and it's mostly just going to be a lot of little projects and, frankly, having the kids get on our schedules as much as we get on them.  There was going to be a regularly-scheduled spring break for the next two weeks so my wife can have some breathing room getting ready, but then she has to go online teaching and we'll have to figure out additional child care.  My job lets me work remotely, though I don't think they completely understand what WFH for 2+ weeks looks like for parents, so that'll be a transition.

In terms of keeping smaller kids occupied, it's getting them out a lot, giving them some freedom to keep exploring, and letting them interact with other kids and friends in a safe way.  I know everyone is demanding social distancing, but depending on where you live there's a good chance your child has already been exposed especially if he/she has been in day care, so keeping to that normal friend group feels reasonable.  But cutting off social interaction with peers for an extended time is a strain on kids.  That's not based on any scientific evidence (I'm sure there is), but just having been with 2 young kids and seeing how they are with friends vs. parents/adults.

I teach in a rural district so online isn't an option. The leadership here ignored everything until it was too late so physical materials could not be prepared...so I plan on relaxing and playoff so much disc golf.

Schools are still open here in NY. Carrying on as normal, almost. Many extracurriculars have been canceled. 

Writing. Editing. More exercise and more stickfighting practice. More prayer, more Bible, more family.

Less TV

In the state of Maine we aren't yet closed, but the writing is on the wall so to speak.  Monday is a teacher only day intended to begin the planning process of how we will implement "continuity of learning" for students while they are away from school.  My hunch we'll get through another week before closing down for 2-3 weeks.  I'm not sure what "continuity of learning" means yet, particularly for physical education...probably something like reading Google Slideshows, watching instructional videos, and doing physical activity logs.  In the meantime I plan to continue to hit the gym without the time constraints of work, spend time with my fiancee and two dogs, catch up on some reading, and reinvest in my meditation practice.

I'm a close-to-retirement high school math teacher without a lot of experience with online instruction. Paraphrased: I'm old and old school. In our district we have opted to not try to continue instruction for the next three weeks as A) a small but significant portion of our small town/rural population does not have digital access at home, and B) we are not yet prepared to accommodate our students with IEPs online. If we are not able to accommodate those students we are out of compliance with federal mandates and could conceivably lose funds because of it. I would hope that the D of E waives some mandates, but with the leadership there, one never knows.

Our school administrators, along with key teachers and union leaders, are working on contingency plans for instruction should the shutdown continue past April 5th. We'll probably have some inservice training if that happens. In the meantime, our focus is on making sure our students have other needs met, such as food and childcare. Fully a third of our population qualifies for free or reduced meals, so many of our families rely on the schools to feed their children. We are working to pair some of our Bigs at the high school with our Littles at the elementaries so that parents can continue to earn paychecks.

With a spouse who is at high risk (compromised immune system, respiratory distress) for becoming a fatality if she should contract COVID-19, I'm focusing on protecting her. There's a possibility that I do not return to work for awhile after schools reopen for fear of vectoring the virus from a symptomless student home to her. We are prepared to hunker down in our little house for a month if necessary without any direct contact with the outside world. Mostly, however, we are taking this day by day and week by week. 

Advice to others: rediscover the joys of reading, puzzles, board games, storytelling, family time. Get outside when you can--there is evidence from the 1918-1920 influenza pandemic that both sunshine and fresh air could possibly help with prevention and recovery. And oh, yeah, wash your hands when you come back inside from wherever you have been.

I teach freshman World History, and I really believe that I can provide nearly identical instruction compared to a regular day. I will record some lectures, provide a variety of informational text, and ask students to produce work digitally. There are some really good resources online that make this adjustment very manageable. My biggest concern is whether or not my students will be disciplined enough to make learning a priority while they are out. I am sure that many of them are viewing this as a vacation, so I fear that I will only get about 50% participation. I hope I'm wrong.

Coaching is another challenge. I am the head baseball coach, and we were prepared to start scrimmaging this week. Now we have a mandated 3 week hiatus (no practices/contact at all), followed by a week of reacclimation before we start playing games where the schedule picks up. I have to reinforce to our players that while nothing is required of them, then need to throw nearly every day, and find somewhere to get swings in. Unfortunately, they cannot use the high school facilities and none of our guys have a cage that they could invite the other over to use. Definitely a frustration after watching them work so hard over the last few months. 

The good part of all of this...my wife just had our first child last night. Due to the ability to work from home during this situation, I can now be much more helpful around the house and get the opportunity to bond more than I would have otherwise with my son. I can also save the sick days I would have used had I been on FMLA.

Good luck to the other teachers out there, and many thanks to the health care workers that face the strain of this unfortunate situation.

I'm hoping to write a book about teaching chemistry. The aim is to get 30,000 more words done during the 4 weeks and then finish a rough draft by July. I'll also read a lot. If you're a teacher you should read a book about cognitive science such as Make It Stick or Why Students Don't Like School. It's a game changer for learning. 

Buy some BRIO trains and tracks. My 2 year old plays with the constantly. And as a teacher, I'll be sitting out the next month drinking margaritas.

Honey to do list is about a mile long! Going to be a long 3-4 weeks! At least home improvements will happen!