Day 98 Social Distancing

Who knew this would be a thing?

Tonight I reflected on social distancing, and contact numbers. I was really nervous when WC began traveling again, but he comes in contact with significantly fewer people than The Test Child at her job, as an essential worker.

And then the survey came from the school district, which outlined the three options they're looking at for the fall. I was asked to number the options by preference. And it really made me think. On any given day I would have contact with over 200 students, and random others.

And, frankly, I found the online teaching experience quite positive. I had a lot of students more engaged in learning, many expressed they preferred working online. Many that had attendance concerns were now "attending" class, while others with anxiety or ADHD said they were able to focus more. Many felt they had more attention from me, since I wasn't distracted with behavior issues in the classroom. And many expressed they liked being able to move at their own pace, and not have to wait for everyone else to catch up.

There was that percentage, who did not engage online. But these were the same students who did not engage in the classroom. Perhaps this is an opportunity to remove some barriers and create some opportunities.