Got my second dose of the COVID vaccine today! We'll see if there are any side effects. I plan on working through whatever happens unless it's just physically not possible. Hopefully it doesn't come to that.
On the teaching front, my kids are worn-out from online learning, and are starting to check-out far more during lessons as a result. I try to make it as interactive and fun as possible, but it's really hard to come up with 3 solid hours of wall-to-wall stimulating online learning, especially when this is the time the kids have to learn to write multi-paragraph pieces. You can pick a fun subject, or give them a few options (actually, that's not very feasible under the time limitations, but I've tried), but at the end of the day, it's the writing process. One of those things that just is what it is (a phrase I hate, but is effective here). Same thing with learning to divide, use all the different manipulatives and math games you want, but at the end of the day it's just one of those things you have to practice and practice and receive corrections to get good at.
I'd be surprised if we go back to normal, full classes before the next academic year. I still don't know how you judge when it is safe. I've read that there isn't a high level of transmission at school, but at some point people you get to know and spend a lot of time with don't seem like statistics anymore. I know other schools across the country have fully reopened to varying degrees of success. I just don't want our kids taking it home and giving it to their grandparents.
