COVID-19 Writing Challenge: Each Day Of The Week, Will Serve As A Spine

On Thursday, March 26, 2020 the writing challenge was a 7 line poem.

The assignment read:

Seven days, seven lines.
Each day of the week,
will serve as the spine,

what you did each day

you will have to think

and that my friend

will serve as the link

Three days are gone
but don't let that
make your heart sink
Three are yet to come
You have time to sync.

Give it a shot

What do you have to lose

Hey, it might just help you 

get over the 'rona blues!!!

Here's what my blithe, bouncy, breezy, buoyant, budding biologists said:

I can’t even remember

What I have done

Every day is a blur

But this is what I know

I’ve been working with my parents

Painting and drawing

Reading and watching YouTube 

Well as the days go by

and my mind feels light

I might as well try my best to write - Me

Monday was strange, I was stressed to have rest

Tuesday was understanding, I saw that work wasn’t changing

Wednesday was okay, I had relief that I had some type of say 

Thursday feels the same, I have work and entertainment for days

Friday? I don’t know, it will be unbeknownst to me 

Saturday, so far yet so close, a parallel universe at most

Sunday, the dawn of a week, the rise of a world that I’ll seek

Monday: I bleached my hair, but oh well, it grows back. 

Tuesday: I did a whole lot of homework, I got back on track.

Wednesday: I babysat and, oh boy, I'm surprised I didn't have a heart attack.

Thursday: My dad got a tattoo and was a little cranky but I cut him some slack. 

Friday: I might dye my hair pink and purple with some hair dye called "Splat". 

Saturday: We might take out the grill and cook, though the meat comes out black.

Sunday: I might just paint something in my room, take it easy, and sit back. 

LIFE

I don't know why

Corona has me stuck

Roads are empty, no cars or trucks

Monday through Wednesday were all the same

I sat there bored playing the game

I hope my next 3 days are filled with joy

So I don't turn into that normal teenage boy

           

Looking forward to spring break

Staying up late

Marking off the days 

Hoping to catch a break

Baking up some treats

Planning a scheme 

To get ready for a new week

Waking up not having to go to school

I started to realize the days became too cool

Laying in bed all day with nothing to do,

I started to imagine if my future dreams were going to come true

I started to take up new hobbies, brightening my horizon

Only to realize as my days went by, I became more frightened

Oh my how the COVID-19 has made me and everyone else less united

I started the week off watching Netflix

The next making a poem

Questioning corona and what she is up to

Went to the dentist, four wisdom teeth need to be removed

I will be focusing on my shows

Starting a new show on Netflix

Can’t wait to dig in

These creative vents gave me an insight into how they are processing this crisis and making it work. How are you treading these uncharted waters?

Haikus: Surviving the COVID-19 Challenge

My 'one on one' with Haiku writing started when when on a relatively warm day for January, it started snowing at school. That day I wrote this on the white board. Not accurately fitting the haiku profile, but it managed to generate a couple chuckles from my students. 

Since then, I have been refining my craft :)  

With the current online learning situation, motivating students and keeping them engaged has been the biggest hurdle for many of us in the teaching trenches. For the past three days, I have been trying to give some creative writing opportunities where the students are able to vent, express and reflect on the goings on in their surroundings as they cope with all the changes we have all been thrown into.

My second and third day this week, the writing challenge was to write Haikus. Both scholars and staff were asked to participate. Here are some of the responses. Can you guess who wrote what?

I love these nuggets
thoughts profound, yet short and sweet,
messages so neat

From Scholars:

Days seem extra long

Trying to keep myself busy

I want to go out

I'm done for today

Like rain, I shall come again

But for now, we wait

Unpleasant the break

Work it kills my happiness

When does ever end

Handling Challenges Haikus

With a sincere heart 

I must apologize for

My lack of action

For I have naught seen

Or have done any assignments

So I am sorry

The path I take while

In a journey so complex

Is a stubborn one 

With a mind of steel

I tread to the engagement 

Facing chastisement

I breathe and ponder

Comprehending my challenge

And I complete it 

Noctilucent eve

A whole, hardworking brain roars

at new challenges

Damp wood, Cloudy Skies

The sun hiding behind clouds

Will I rise one day?

It's just through mistakes

I learned where I went wrong but,
I still come out strong 

Wearing my armour 

I am ready for battle

Ready to conquer

I can use my strengths 

The spirit of a dragon

Ready to conquer

Dear Corona:

Hearing what you do 

Hurting people, harming them

Please just go away

Outbreak diseases

Why must you come for the world?

Disperse, Corona

To covid-19, you

Showed no remorse towards us

How do I go on?

You conquer the world

Will you ever stop spreading 

Your powers are strong 

From Teachers:

You are in my heart

You have known this from the start

Well wishes to you

Hallways are empty 

Your minds are starting to roam

Please learn while at home 

Sitting in the sun

Listening to the world fly

Grapes. Champagne. Oh my! 

School not on my mind, 

To my brain I’m being kind, 

Sanity I’ll find.

My wife is home too, 

Now so much I HAVE to do,

Dang Corona’s Flu!

Life like sleepless nights

Star gazing and wandering

Searching for sweet dreams

One day at a time

With no stress and no worries

Still blessed and thankful

Heart pounding quickly

Remembering your sweet face

Miss you so dearly

Masks and latex gloves,

Drive-thrus, no toilet paper,

‘Rona, is that you?

How are you motivating and engaging those around you?

COVID-19 Social Distancing: How are you coping?

We have been out of school since last Monday, March 16, 2020. The scholars at our school had one week of distance learning and then the spring break started. I wanted to know how they are adapting to this homebound routine stacked on top of social distancing.  Here are some snippets from their thoughtful candid responses.

Some of them have figured out a way to stay with the positive.

"I am still making my days count by maintaining my regular school routine to help myself stay focused and not losing track of my goal to go to college. “As long as I see that time keeps ticking and doesn’t turn back that means that I have to keep moving forward. Days seem to be a little longer with staying at home all day. I remind myself that I could have a worse life, but my parents are doing everything they can to have me where I am and I should do the same to have a better life in the future." I have a bright future, I keep myself motivated, and not let myself get discouraged by the ongoing situation that is happening around us."
By waking up early and finishing my tasks ahead of time, I can have the rest of the day free to finish any other things I’ve wanted to do. I’ve decluttered my closet, and spending time with family is nice. Remembering that tomorrow is a new day and that the situation will get better eventually, gets me through the day. I’m adding value to myself by keeping my mind clear and staying active. I’m also adding value to my surroundings by appreciating what I have, and keeping them clean."

Others, are trying but having a harder time.

"I'm trying my best to make my days count. However, I've recently picked up the knack of not being able to sleep. I know it's probably because I'm always on my phone and all, but time seems so fake now that I basically have nothing to do. It's embarrassing, really, how all I get done in a day is a few lessons worth of homework and some other minor details. The only thing that's getting me through my day is the fact that eventually the virus has to calm down, and eventually we have to go back to school.

"I literally feel like I have no purpose. Now, I know it sounds stupid after only a week of not doing anything, but the uncertainty of it all is really unsettling. Everything is either cancelled or postponed and it feels like there's no end in sight. If anything, I feel like I'm losing value. So I'm stuck here with a whole lot of things but with nothing that feels exciting or motivating enough to do. I guess my sense of value is being able to live my everyday life and ace it as best as I can."

"I've been hanging out with my family. It's not like we didn't before Corona, but there's something different now. I love my family, so I hope that by being around them I can affect them positively. I feel older now, but I feel like this would all be so much more enjoyable without having to stay in. An opportunity like a full week without my mom or dad working seems like a dream, but we don't get to go out and have fun like I would've wanted."

" I've now realized I'm definitely not a homebody, and I cannot be left on my own. (I'll give you a hint: I messed with my hair…..) I'm looking forward to this being over and being back in school with my daily life. I feel like I'm going crazy, especially as an extrovert."

How are you coping with all the changes and uncertainty that is here to stay for a while? Please respond in the comments below. As for me, I will compile the results of the haiku challenge and post that next. 

STAY HOME AND STAY TUNED!

International Women's Day

On International Women's Day

On March 8th, as I opened the doors of my forensic science class, students streamed in, talking about International Women's Day. As we talked through their questions and the silly banter between the usual culprits, I veered them back to what I had planned for the day and carried on with the rest of my day. Later that evening, I thought about how little time we allow for such dialogue and provide them opportunity to talk about how they feel about what is happening in the world around them. 

Next morning, I decided to let them go out and have some conversations. I grouped them in three sets of 4-5 each, gave them ten minutes to set up the cameras and mics, whip up an open ended question and seek one adult and one student to get a rapid response, a reaction about the international women's day. 

Here is their cumulative reflection on this activity.

"I was shocked when you told us that we would be interviewing people about international women's day. It was a pleasant surprise though. Our question was “Do you think that international women’s day is just an excuse for radical feminists to voice their opinions?” We wanted people who would give a thorough answer and would feel strongly about the subject. It was hard because everybody was busy and we had very little time.

As a woman myself, I really liked this project. It was really cool and refreshing to hear teachers' perspective on such a current matter. We interviewed for both a male and female's perspective. We got a variety of answers on how women play a role in our life. This made me realize how important women are in our society. I also realized that a lot of stuff would be different without the help of women.

This activity was fun and educational. I got to learn how to use the camera as well. Interviewing different people about women’s international day made me get different points of view. I learned that not everyone thinks the same way and that women should be appreciated every day not just one day in a year. Women are strong fighting warriors .

After interviewing one female teacher and a male teacher, I was surprised to know that their views were very similar. Both men and women felt that being a women in society is one of the most important jobs there is. What worked about this activity was working in a group, collaborating for ideas, and interviewing people. What didn’t work was working with so little time to get everything done. It really was a sight to see. I took a lot away from this project. I hope we do something like this again."

Below are snippets of the scholars getting ready for and in action.

https://goo.gl/photos/cxFmq8qa9ffPGeGf7

I felt energy and sense of purpose around me. I saw them engaged and involved. I heard laughter, interaction and discussion. This is my first of many steps which look spontaneous but took a while to happen. I am slowly learning to release the learning to the students. They owned this lesson. 

My novice freshmen are going to work on these video clips and critique and process them and create a package that will tell a coherent story.

I Used To Think...

I used to think...

I used to think that the students need to first learn the concepts and then application comes much later. I used to think that a lag between learning and application is only normal because application of concepts only happens when you start working. I used to think that teacher is needed to impart the knowledge and it is teacher’s responsibility to somehow make the student get the content matter. The amount a student learnt was dependent on how much student listened and how attentive he or she was when the teacher was teaching.

I used to think that a classroom where all the student desks are facing the whiteboard and seating arrangement where students do not interact with one another is the most effective seating arrangement. I used to think that a teacher has to stand behind the podium and be able to lecture so that she or he can deliver the content in the most efficient manner.

 I used to think that the student’s ability to succeed depends on how effective a note taker he or she is and how well he or she performs in traditional assessment.

Teaching high school dispelled all these misconceptions. In a short period of first six months I discovered that if I were to expect my students to learn something, I needed to first motivate them. Building meaningful experiences into their learning and letting them take ownership of their learning by actively doing and interacting with professionals created relevance of learning and real world connections were illustrated.

Project based learning resonates with this thought process and gets the student in a figuring out mode. Problem solving and collaboration are the two hallmarks of PBL and also construct the spine of the SC graduate profile or 21st century skills. It is important for the students to understand the connection between the projects that they do in the class and the 21st century skills because it allows them to see how the skills learnt in this process help them in the real world.