Apparently It's a Snow-Day. Blizzard-Like Conditions. Um, Not for Graduate Courses. It's Business as Usual...with Alterations...and a Wee Bit of Envy.

I've watched K-12 teachers tweeting and posting for a couple of days on how they feel about schools keeping classes going online, even when snow days are predicted and inevitable. "Let's do school in digital spaces." 

I've watched the frustration this causes for kids, teachers, and parents.  To sum it up best, "It's a Cluster-$@#$."

I was thrilled to receive messages on Sunday morning that Bridgeport Public Schools called today off (mini-breaks are beautiful, even when they are a royal pain in the butt). My fear was that we wouldn't know until 6 a.m. this morning, and I'd be scrambling between three plans: (A) service-learning with a school, albeit it online, (B) no service-learning but teaching online, and (C) no teaching at all because the University would throw in the towel. All this is to say that academics like me spent all day yesterday preparing for all three scenarios. Fairfield decided, "if you're already online, keep it online." Fine. That makes sense. The issue is, however, "If you're working with local K-12 schools and they're all closed for the day, then you probably should...."

Teach anyway. Get ahead. Anger students enrolled in the course. Make it as fun as possible. Be a jerk. Customary Crandall with a side of cracking up.

Don't ever let anyone belittle the work educators do. It really is non-stop. We are always figuring out multiple scenarios and planning in anticipation of 1,000s of possibilities.

No, I won't have 4th grade students and teachers today in digital collaborations, but I will have my graduate students. Yes, I am supposed to begin at 8 a.m., but no, I'm not starting then. I am giving them an extra hour from home, so they can do work that will better prepare them for our online time together. When we ARE online together, it will be productive....9 until 11 will be spot-on. Even if we don't have our lil' partners with us, we will have time to prepare for a gathering next week (weather permitting). 

Really. January/February have been ridiculous the last few years. There are numerous snow days, cancellations, mishaps, and rescheduling needed. Adapting is what we do. I'm getting over it and knowing that I have plan C to execute. I'm ready to go. 

K-12 teachers. Enjoy your day off. Go sledding. Drink cocoa. Watch a movie. Bake a pie. Undergraduate faculty who teach on campus, even during a pandemic, enjoy your day off. For those of us who are online, we're'business as usual,' even if the work we do is with K-12 schools. And now I await to see if any of my students show up (even if I DID give them an extra hour). I'm tapping my younger self. I'd resent every second of having to come to class.

I love what I do...but there are times when I think, "Really? Aren't we all supposed to be smarter than this." I hope my actions speak louder than words. I really do love today's lesson plans, online interaction(s), and roll out. I can't wait. 

But I feel bad for my students. They should be lounging in their pajamas, watching Price is Right and totally doing in-room dance parties that they got an extra day off. 

We shouldn't take this away from them. Our kids deserve this.

And just like that, it's February.