Wednesday, Sept. 30

6:51 a.m. - Last night's presidential debate was certainly a spectacle.  President Trump won; I hope Joe Biden can do better next time, but it won't be easy.

Things to do for Mrs. Mitola/Ms. Kapraun

- Visit Mrs. Kapraun's room and view a lesson.

- Complete Culver's "training notes" - DONE

Things to do for school

- 2:30 meeting in auditorium WED

- finalize agendas for the rest of the week, including Friday - DONE

- score and enter scores for General History assignment - 3,4

- edit streams with today's class sessions recordings - DONE

Things I Could Do or Need to Do In the Future

• Write out beginning of the month bills and mail them out. - DONE
• Take care of chores Tuesday through Friday EVENINGS at farm.
• Winterize and cover the pool.
• Winterize the trailer.

Things that I NOW think about with the coronavirus. (9/30)

I'm now in my second day of quarantine; hopefully, we will get test results back today.

• Stats
• February 29 was the first reported positive case in Illinois. 
• March 20, there were 585 reported positive cases.
• As of May 29 (3 months), there were 120,260 positive cases and 5,390 deaths.
• As of June 29 (4 months), there were 142, 461 positive cases and 6,902 deaths.
• As of July 31 (5 months), there were 178,837 positive cases and 7,495 deaths.
• As of August 29 (6 months), there were 231,363 positive cases and 8,008 deaths.

• ILLINOIS PREVIOUS DAY
• hospitalizations - 346
• ILLINOIS YESTERDAY
• hospitalizations - 363
• ILLINOIS TODAY
• hospitalizations - 378

• ROCK ISLAND COUNTY
• YESTERDAY - 3,071 positive cases; 77 deaths
• TODAY - 3.077 positive cases; 77 deaths

Prayer for My Heart

Holy Spirit...

Help me have... 

    a pure heart, that I may see;
    a humble heart, that I may hear;
    a heart of love, that I may serve;
    a heart of faith, that I may abide in the spirit. 

                                                                     Amen

Tuesday, Sept. 29

6:10 a.m. - I have a little more time today, as I have to stay at home while a COVID test is completed from a grandchild that was in our home Sunday evening.  I guess I'll put this remote teaching thing to the test this morning.

Things to do for Mrs. Mitola/Ms. Kapraun

- Visit Mrs. Kapraun's room and view a lesson.

- Complete Culver's "training notes".

Things to do for school

- 2:30 meeting in auditorium WED

- finalize agendas for the rest of the week, including Friday

- view student blogs and make comments 1, 3, 4

- score and enter scores for General History assignment

- respond to student emails

- edit streams with today's class sessions recordings. DONE

Things I Could Do or Need to Do In the Future

• Write out beginning of the month bills and mail them out.
• Take care of chores Tuesday through Friday EVENINGS at farm.
• Winterize and cover the pool.
• Winterize the trailer.

Things that I NOW think about with the coronavirus. (9/29)

This winter is going to be a mess.  Because a grandchild was with us Sunday evening in our home, and because he went to the doctor yesterday because of a cough and because he attends daycare, he had to have a COVID test.  Because he currently is awaiting results, now Amber and I have to stay home today until the results are completed.  Staying at home to teach isn't that big of a deal, but I have to be able to officiate, so now the question is how to avoid situations like this in the future because I don't want to have to cancel officiating/umpiring assignments...I need that work.

• Stats
• February 29 was the first reported positive case in Illinois. 
• March 20, there were 585 reported positive cases.
• As of May 29 (3 months), there were 120,260 positive cases and 5,390 deaths.
• As of June 29 (4 months), there were 142, 461 positive cases and 6,902 deaths.
• As of July 31 (5 months), there were 178,837 positive cases and 7,495 deaths.
• As of August 29 (6 months), there were 231,363 positive cases and 8,008 deaths.

• ILLINOIS PREVIOUS DAY
• hospitalizations - 350
• ILLINOIS YESTERDAY
• hospitalizations - 346
• ILLINOIS TODAY
• hospitalizations - 363

• ROCK ISLAND COUNTY
• YESTERDAY - 3,026 positive cases; 76 deaths
• TODAY - 3,077 positive cases; 77 deaths

Prayer for My Heart

Holy Spirit...

Help me have... 

    a pure heart, that I may see;
    a humble heart, that I may hear;
    a heart of love, that I may serve;
    a heart of faith, that I may abide in the spirit. 

                                                                     Amen

Monday, September 28

5:54 a.m. Okay, another work week, but the plan is to take the camper out to West Lake campground this weekend, so I have something to plan for and look forward to.  

Things to do for Mrs. Mitola/Ms. Kapraun

- Visit Mrs. Kapraun's room and view a lesson.

Things to do for school

- 2:30 meeting in auditorium

- get Association new enrollment forms collected and sent with updated roster

- reread John Smith - DONE

- view assignments for completion before first period (1,3,4) - DONE

- create agendas for the rest of the week - DONE through Thursday

- view student blogs and make comments

Things I Could Do or Need to Do In the Future

• Write out beginning of the month bills and mail them out.
• Freshmen volleyball at Assumption 6 p.m.
• Take care of chores Tuesday through Friday EVENINGS at farm.
• Winterize and cover the pool.

Things that I NOW think about with the coronavirus. (9/28)

There was a bigger number of reported cases in Rock Island County than I've seen in awhile.  Hospitalizations were up as well.  

• Stats
• February 29 was the first reported positive case in Illinois. 
• March 20, there were 585 reported positive cases.
• As of May 29 (3 months), there were 120,260 positive cases and 5,390 deaths.
• As of June 29 (4 months), there were 142, 461 positive cases and 6,902 deaths.
• As of July 31 (5 months), there were 178,837 positive cases and 7,495 deaths.
• As of August 29 (6 months), there were 231,363 positive cases and 8,008 deaths.

• ILLINOIS PREVIOUS DAY
• hospitalizations - 355
• ILLINOIS YESTERDAY
• hospitalizations - 350
• ILLINOIS TODAY
• hospitalizations - 346

• ROCK ISLAND COUNTY
• YESTERDAY - 2,976 positive cases; 76 deaths
• TODAY - 3026 positive cases; 76 deaths

Prayer for My Heart

Holy Spirit...

Help me have... 

    a pure heart, that I may see;
    a humble heart, that I may hear;
    a heart of love, that I may serve;
    a heart of faith, that I may abide in the spirit. 

                                                                     Amen

Sunday, Sept. 27

7:12 p.m. - Another Sunday night...trying to get read for Monday by grading scores, entering scores, and addressing more and more emails from students turning in work late.  Today, I umpired four games, pretty much in drizzle, sprinkles, and eventually rain all day long.  It was nice earning some money, but it was pretty lousy conditions.  Now I think I'm going to watch some football.

Things to do for Mrs. Mitola/Ms. Kapraun

Things to do for school

- get Association new enrollment forms collected and sent with updated roster

- check students' emails to me - DONE

- check Khan Academy Pronouns scores and enter into Lumen - DONE

- post Khan Academy modifier activities - DONE

- schedule Google Stream for 1, 3, 4 - DONE

- reread John Smith

- view assignments for completion before first period (1,3,4)

Things I Could Do or Need to Do In the Future

• 5 games at USSSA Muscatine beginning at 10:40 a.m. - DONE
• Freshmen volleyball at Assumption 6 p.m.
• Take care of chores Tuesday through Friday at farm.
• Paint the shed.
• Continue working on restoring the channel of the ditch.

Things that I NOW think about with the coronavirus. (9/27)

There was a bigger number of reported cases in Rock Island County than I've seen in awhile.  Hospitalizations were up as well.  

• Stats
• February 29 was the first reported positive case in Illinois. 
• March 20, there were 585 reported positive cases.
• As of May 29 (3 months), there were 120,260 positive cases and 5,390 deaths.
• As of June 29 (4 months), there were 142, 461 positive cases and 6,902 deaths.
• As of July 31 (5 months), there were 178,837 positive cases and 7,495 deaths.
• As of August 29 (6 months), there were 231,363 positive cases and 8,008 deaths.

• ILLINOIS PREVIOUS DAY
• hospitalizations - 371
• ILLINOIS YESTERDAY
• hospitalizations - 355
• ILLINOIS TODAY
• hospitalizations - 350

• ROCK ISLAND COUNTY
• YESTERDAY - 2,976 positive cases; 76 deaths
• TODAY - 2,995 positive cases; 76 deaths

Prayer for My Heart

Holy Spirit...

Help me have... 

    a pure heart, that I may see;
    a humble heart, that I may hear;
    a heart of love, that I may serve;
    a heart of faith, that I may abide in the spirit. 

                                                                     Amen

Saturday, Sept. 26

5:14 pm.  - Happy Birthday Carmen Bizarri!  We had lunch at Olive Garden and Amber and my mom and Mrs. Mitola and her husband joined us.  It was a nice time, and I got Carmen and Mrs. Mitola together because they are both student teaching in high school English, and it's eerie scary how much they remind me of each other.  After lunch, Amber made me go grocery shopping, and then it was back home to hit the mower and get some grass mowed.  Now that's done, and I think Greg is coming over to hang out for a bit.  We haven't seen each other in awhile, so it will be nice to visit.  Oh did I mention that today started at 4:30 a.m. with Brinley and Brooklyn and Jay playing and watching kids shows.  Yup, the granddaughters spent the night and decided to wake up early.  I did manage to get Brinley to lay down and we took about an hour nap, so we got a little back, but I'm still really tired.

Things to do for Mrs. Mitola/Ms. Kapraun

Things to do for school

- get Association new enrollment forms collected and sent with updated roster

- check students' emails to me

- check Khan Academy Pronouns scores and enter into Lumen

- post Khan Academy modifier activities

Things I Could Do or Need to Do In the Future

• lunch with Carmen and Mitola's Saturday
• 5 games at USSSA Muscatine beginning at 10:40 a.m.
• Paint the shed.
• Continue working on restoring the channel of the ditch.
• Replace seals and gaskets in the pool motor. - AFTER POOL CLOSING

Things that I NOW think about with the coronavirus. (9/26)

There was a bigger number of reported cases in Rock Island County than I've seen in awhile.  Hospitalizations were up as well.  

• Stats
• February 29 was the first reported positive case in Illinois. 
• March 20, there were 585 reported positive cases.
• As of May 29 (3 months), there were 120,260 positive cases and 5,390 deaths.
• As of June 29 (4 months), there were 142, 461 positive cases and 6,902 deaths.
• As of July 31 (5 months), there were 178,837 positive cases and 7,495 deaths.
• As of August 29 (6 months), there were 231,363 positive cases and 8,008 deaths.

• ILLINOIS PREVIOUS DAY
• hospitalizations - 351
• ILLINOIS YESTERDAY
• hospitalizations - 371
• ILLINOIS TODAY
• hospitalizations - 355

• ROCK ISLAND COUNTY
• YESTERDAY - 2,935 positive cases; 75 deaths
• TODAY - 2,976 positive cases; 76 deaths

Prayer for My Heart

Holy Spirit...

Help me have... 

    a pure heart, that I may see;
    a humble heart, that I may hear;
    a heart of love, that I may serve;
    a heart of faith, that I may abide in the spirit. 

                                                                     Amen

Friday, Sept. 25

5:17 a.m. -  I woke up this morning and opened the door to let the cats outside, and a bad noise was coming from the pool motor.  That was definitely not a good sign and not a good way to start a Friday.  As I approached in the dark to shut off the power, a burning smell lingered, so I shut it off.  I'll wait until daylight to assess the damage, but I'm pretty sure it's just burnt out, which isn't a good thing.  We won't be doing any swimming for the rest of the season, but I still need the motor to drain out the water in order to winterize the lines, which we would be doing soon anyway.  And a new motor will be a nice little chunk of change that I will have to shell out for next pool season - cha ching.  Maybe I'll just concentrate my thinking on that it's Friday. 

Things to do for Mrs. Mitola/Ms. Kapraun

Things to do for school

- get Association new enrollment forms collected and sent with updated roster

- check intro to textbook assignments and enter scores start Wed, 9/23 after school day 

    - 1st is scored in classroom, still need to enter - nothing done with 3,4 yet

- check for Tuesday's blog entries (forms) start Thurs, 9/24 - DONE

    - I checked...only 17 form entries....grrrrr - will now have a lot of emails to sort through

- check for Wednesday's FRW (forms) start Fri. 9/25 - DONE

- check students' emails to me

Things I Could Do or Need to Do In the Future

• 3 games at USSSA Muscatine tomorrow 5 p.m.
• lunch with Carmen and Mitola's Saturday
• 5 games at USSSA Muscatine beginning at 10:40 a.m.
• Paint the shed.
• Continue working on restoring the channel of the ditch.
• Replace seals and gaskets in the pool motor. - AFTER POOL CLOSING

Things that I NOW think about with the coronavirus. (9/25)

There was a bigger number of reported cases in Rock Island County than I've seen in awhile.  Hospitalizations were up as well.  

• Stats
• February 29 was the first reported positive case in Illinois. 
• March 20, there were 585 reported positive cases.
• As of May 29 (3 months), there were 120,260 positive cases and 5,390 deaths.
• As of June 29 (4 months), there were 142, 461 positive cases and 6,902 deaths.
• As of July 31 (5 months), there were 178,837 positive cases and 7,495 deaths.
• As of August 29 (6 months), there were 231,363 positive cases and 8,008 deaths.

• ILLINOIS PREVIOUS DAY
• hospitalizations - 367
• ILLINOIS YESTERDAY
• hospitalizations - 351
• ILLINOIS TODAY
• hospitalizations - 371

• ROCK ISLAND COUNTY
• YESTERDAY - 2,869 positive cases; 74 deaths
• TODAY - 2,935 positive cases; 75 deaths

Prayer for My Heart

Holy Spirit...

Help me have... 

    a pure heart, that I may see;
    a humble heart, that I may hear;
    a heart of love, that I may serve;
    a heart of faith, that I may abide in the spirit. 

                                                                     Amen

Thursday, September 24

6:42 a.m. - I should have mowed the lawn after school yesterday; now I'm not sure when I'm going to accomplish that.  Instead I watched the coverage over the death of Breanna Taylor in Louusville.  I checked out all the media coverage - CNN, FoxNews, MSNBC - because I wanted to try to get all sides of the discussion.  In the end, my judgment is that even though she was in her own home, she ended up being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Police were serving a warrant; they were doing their job.  Ms. Taylor's friend in the apartment was being served a warrant, and he legally possessed a firearm.  Whether he was shooting at what he suspected were intruders or what he new were police officers perhaps won't ever be discovered, but he claims police didn't identify themselves.  Ms. Taylor's friend fired his weapon, and then all hell broke loose, and Ms. Taylor died in the mess, and she was unarmed in her own apartment.  I don't know her background other than apparently she was an EMT.  I don't know the specifics that go into obtaining search warrants, but on the surface it seems odd that the police were executing a search warrant on someone in a home that was someone else's home, unless the search warrant somehow included Ms. Taylor.  I don't think this case is the same as other officer involved situations resulting in the death of a black citizen, and I think its wrong to lump all the cases that have recently occurred into the same basket.  I definitely think its wrong to destroy property as a results of anger and frustration over a judgment that someone disagrees with.

Things to do for Mrs. Mitola/Ms. Kapraun

Things to do for school

- get Association new enrollment forms collected and sent with updated roster

- check intro to textbook assignments and enter scores start Wed, 9/23 after school day 

    - 1st is scored in classroom, still need to enter - nothing done with 3,4 yet

- check for Tuesday's blog entries (forms) start Thurs, 9/24

- check for Wednesday's FRW (forms) start Fri. 9/25

- check students' emails to me

Things I Could Do or Need to Do In the Future

• IESA game at Cambridge today 4:30 p.m.
• 3 games at USSSA Muscatine tomorrow 5 p.m.
• lunch with Carmen and Mitola's Saturday
• 5 games at USSSA Muscatine beginning at 10:40 a.m.
• Work with Becca's paper.
• Work with Pool's paper.
• Paint the shed.
• Continue working on restoring the channel of the ditch.
• Replace seals and gaskets in the pool motor. - AFTER POOL CLOSING

Things that I NOW think about with the coronavirus. (9/24)

• Stats
• February 29 was the first reported positive case in Illinois. 
• March 20, there were 585 reported positive cases.
• As of May 29 (3 months), there were 120,260 positive cases and 5,390 deaths.
• As of June 29 (4 months), there were 142, 461 positive cases and 6,902 deaths.
• As of July 31 (5 months), there were 178,837 positive cases and 7,495 deaths.
• As of August 29 (6 months), there were 231,363 positive cases and 8,008 deaths.

• ILLINOIS PREVIOUS DAY
• hospitalizations - 367
• ILLINOIS YESTERDAY
• hospitalizations - 351
• ILLINOIS TODAY
• hospitalizations - ___

• ROCK ISLAND COUNTY
• YESTERDAY - 2,869 positive cases; 74 deaths
• TODAY - ____ positive cases; __ deaths

Prayer for My Heart

Holy Spirit...

Help me have... 

    a pure heart, that I may see;
    a humble heart, that I may hear;
    a heart of love, that I may serve;
    a heart of faith, that I may abide in the spirit. 

                                                                     Amen

Wednesday, Sept. 23

6:32 a.m. - I find myself searching for answers to better encourage more students to take full authentic advantage of the educational opportunities they have available to them.  My guess is that I would be encouraged by the number of students that do fall into this category, but I see more indications and instances of students that do not fall into this category, so discouragement prevails.   

Things to do for Mrs. Mitola/Ms. Kapraun

Things to do for school

- get Association new enrollment forms collected and sent with updated roster

- figure out how students can demonstrate completion of a "virtual" post secondary exploration activity - DONE

- check intro to textbook assignments and enter scores start Wed, 9/23 after school day 

    - 1st is scored in classroom, still need to enter - nothing done with 3,4 yet

- check for Tuesday's blog entries (forms) start Thurs, 9/24

- check for Wednesday's FRW (forms) start Fri. 9/25

Things I Could Do or Need to Do In the Future

• Paint the shed.
• Continue working on restoring the channel of the ditch.
• Replace seals and gaskets in the pool motor. - AFTER POOL CLOSING

Things that I NOW think about with the coronavirus. (9/23)

• Stats
• February 29 was the first reported positive case in Illinois. 
• March 20, there were 585 reported positive cases.
• As of May 29 (3 months), there were 120,260 positive cases and 5,390 deaths.
• As of June 29 (4 months), there were 142, 461 positive cases and 6,902 deaths.
• As of July 31 (5 months), there were 178,837 positive cases and 7,495 deaths.
• As of August 29 (6 months), there were 231,363 positive cases and 8,008 deaths.

• ILLINOIS PREVIOUS DAY
• hospitalizations - 364
• ILLINOIS YESTERDAY
• hospitalizations - 367
• ILLINOIS TODAY
• hospitalizations - 351

• ROCK ISLAND COUNTY
• YESTERDAY - 2,827 positive cases; 71 deaths
• TODAY - 2,869 positive cases; 74 deaths

Prayer for My Heart

Holy Spirit...

Help me have... 

    a pure heart, that I may see;
    a humble heart, that I may hear;
    a heart of love, that I may serve;
    a heart of faith, that I may abide in the spirit. 

                                                                     Amen

9-22 Immigration Reform

I will say this...I'm a little older than you, and I get the general feeling among your generation is more compassionate and sympathetic towards undocumented folks than older generations.  Now I'm not saying that one opinion is better than another, but it just seems to me like older generations seem a little more rigidly opinionated.

A great question that brought up in the video piece was how do we potentially allow undocumented folks to become U.S. citizens.  In the message, the narrator claimed that the process was too hard.  Since that was in 2012, I'm not sure how things have changed, if at all.  Admittedly, too, I'm not up-to-date on the exact process of becoming a U.S. citizen.  Is it hard, or is it reasonable?  I'm really not sure.  I think I would be inclined to say that the process shouldn't just be some type of freebie easy thing, but I also don't believe the process should be very, very challenging.  Should people have to speak fluent English in order to be a U.S. citizen; I hear that one a lot.  Should people have to pass some sort of U.S. citizen test with a certain percentage of score?  Should people have to have some sort of skill or expertise that would increase the likelihood that they would be a positive contribution to the United States?  What other characteristics or qualities should someone have in order to become a U.S. citizen?

I find myself chuckling a little at some things people say should be qualifications because a lot of U.S. citizens likely wouldn't be able to stay if they had to follow those same guidelines or expectations, and we can't just start chucking people out of the country that don't belong because they don't speak English well enough, didn't pass the U.S. Constitution test well enough, or aren't smart enough or skilled enough or whatever enough, can we?

Dan DeSmet, Jaxon Brokaw, Connor Shafer

9-22 Undocumented Deportation

I really don't know all the ways that undocumented immigrants are discovered.  My guess is that discovery can take place if a person is arrested for some reason.  But what other ways?  My guess is also that there is some federal agency that deals with immigration and investigates possible cases; do you suppose some people turn in or rat out undocumented people?  I wonder if employers who come across undocumented workers turn those folks in.

I think it's important for us to realize that we can't adopt what may be a popular narrative in our own lives or our own communities.  As you saw in the video, undocumented people come from all countries and have all colors of skin and all types of situations.  Please, please, please, let's now allow ourselves to believe that all undocumented people in the United States are drug dealers from Mexico.  That's just not true, although I can't really give you the statistics of the percentage of peoples from which countries are deported the most.  I have to believe without doing the research that a large percentage of people from South America are departed more than other parts of the world only because the U.S. has a large border with Mexico, but admittedly that's just a guess.

If I remember correctly, schools cannot deny access to an undocumented student, and I'm pretty sure they are not required to report those students to immigration officials, but again, I'm not entirely sure of that particular component of legality.

I hope you do realize that this video presents undocumented folks as people...just like you and me...and just like many folks who want to come to the U.S. for a chance for a better life.

Wyatt Harby, Tyler Hendley, Anton, 

9-22 Undocumented Immigrants....

It seems to me very important to see faces and hear voices when it comes to attempting to form opinions on what to do about undocumented immigrants.  Especially in our community where we don't have much diversity, it's only right that we dig a little into the issue somehow when we form our opinions or attempt to form our opinions.  So does that video present information that perhaps adds information for you?

What I eventually hope you see is that immigration isn't a Trump thing or Obama thing or republican or democrat thing.  In fact, immigration isn't a 2020 thing or a 1920 thing or an 1820 thing.  Immigration has been a thing for as long as this country as we typically know it exists, but honestly immigration was a thing before even white and brown European explorers set foot on the shores of this country.  The book I just finished reading talks about the inhabitants of this land much, much earlier than Columbus.  In fact, evidence shows human life - much more advanced human life than you may know - existed well before Columbus ever arrived.  This was not a "new world" that Columbus "discovered".  He just traveled to a different world that had already had humans on it for a long, long time.  Columbus was an immigrant, and all the white and brown explorers and eventual settlers were all immigrants.  They weren't documented; they didn't go through some process of citizenship.

So advance now to 2020 when people just want to come to the U.S. for better for themselves.  What do we do?

Brayden

Tuesday, Sept. 22

6:36 a.m. -  Yesterday was a productive Monday.  I had to stay up into the night and work on school stuff, but that's okay.  I just feel better knowing that I'm as caught up as possible, even if it takes some extra time in the evening.  Amber helped me with a Google Form problem I was having, but now I got it figured out.  Mrs. Mitola is taking over the reins for 2nd and 7th period today, which is an important step for her experience.  My plan is to just be in earshot both 2nd and 7th periods today.  Today after school, I'm going to head to my parents' farm and visit with them a bit.  I haven't seen them in awhile, which may be a good thing since the COVID seems to be growing in our building at least.  I seem to receive 3-5 notices per day about students that are going to be remote for awhile.  I wonder exactly what the number is of students in the building before it's not longer meaningful to attempt in-person instruction at all.  On another school related thought, it appears that some students are finally starting to realize that school in the Fall of 2020 is not the same as school in the Spring of 2020 was.  I have a lot of students earning F's, and really we haven't done much strenuous stuff yet.  Most of the grades that have been entered have just been completion type things.  I find myself wondering if perhaps a reality check about education is taking place in our society.  Maybe school is important?  Maybe parenting is important?

Things to do for Mrs. Mitola

Things to do for school

- get Association new enrollment forms collected and sent with updated roster

- figure out how students can demonstrate completion of a "virtual" post secondary exploration activity

Things I Could Do or Need to Do In the Future

• Paint the shed.
• Continue working on restoring the channel of the ditch.
• Replace seals and gaskets in the pool motor. - AFTER POOL CLOSING

Things that I NOW think about with the coronavirus. (9/22)

• Stats
• February 29 was the first reported positive case in Illinois. 
• March 20, there were 585 reported positive cases.
• As of May 29 (3 months), there were 120,260 positive cases and 5,390 deaths.
• As of June 29 (4 months), there were 142, 461 positive cases and 6,902 deaths.
• As of July 31 (5 months), there were 178,837 positive cases and 7,495 deaths.
• As of August 29 (6 months), there were 231,363 positive cases and 8,008 deaths.

• ILLINOIS PREVIOUS DAY
• hospitalizations - 329
• ILLINOIS YESTERDAY
• hospitalizations - 364
• ILLINOIS TODAY
• hospitalizations - 367

• ROCK ISLAND COUNTY
• YESTERDAY - 2,813 positive cases; 71 deaths
• TODAY - 2,827 positive cases; 71deaths

Prayer for My Heart

Holy Spirit...

Help me have... 

    a pure heart, that I may see;
    a humble heart, that I may hear;
    a heart of love, that I may serve;
    a heart of faith, that I may abide in the spirit. 

                                                                     Amen

Monday, Sept. 21

 Things I Could Do or Need to Do In the Future

• Paint the shed.
• Continue working on restoring the channel of the ditch.
• Replace seals and gaskets in the pool motor. - AFTER POOL CLOSING

Things to do for Ms. Mitola

- by end of September - Ms. Mitola has all sections

- by second week of December, I take over all sections and Ms. Mitola wraps up

Things to do for school

- get Association new enrollment forms collected and sent with updated roster

- figure out how students can demonstrate completion of a "virtual" post secondary exploration activity

- check and see if remote students have sent read aloud video

- set up Doctopus and Flubaroo

- score release pre-assessment essays (connect Doctopus and Flubaroo)

- score and release pre-assessment reading 

- post SAT "flyers" on the wall for me and Mrs. Mitola

Things that I NOW think about with the coronavirus. (9/21)

• Stats
• February 29 was the first reported positive case in Illinois. 
• March 20, there were 585 reported positive cases.
• As of May 29 (3 months), there were 120,260 positive cases and 5,390 deaths.
• As of June 29 (4 months), there were 142, 461 positive cases and 6,902 deaths.
• As of July 31 (5 months), there were 178,837 positive cases and 7,495 deaths.
• As of August 29 (6 months), there were 231,363 positive cases and 8,008 deaths.

• ILLINOIS PREVIOUS DAY
• hospitalizations - 
• ILLINOIS YESTERDAY
• hospitalizations - 329
• ILLINOIS TODAY
• hospitalizations - 364

• ROCK ISLAND COUNTY
• YESTERDAY - 2,789 positive cases; 71 deaths
• TODAY - 2,813 positive cases; 71 deaths

Prayer for My Heart

Holy Spirit...

Help me have... 

    a pure heart, that I may see;
    a humble heart, that I may hear;
    a heart of love, that I may serve;
    a heart of faith, that I may abide in the spirit. 

                                                                     Amen

Sunday, Sept. 20

2:23 p.m. - I'm sitting here in the living room watching the Bears attempt to lose a game that they seem to have in hand in the third quarter.  We went camping at Galesburg East Campground in Knoxville over the weekend, and we did a great job of breaking camp and getting back home and unloading today.  The campground was just what we needed for a little weekend trip, even though the campsites were a little too close to each other for my preferences. This morning I went for a walk on their trail and it was bigger and nicer than I thought it would be; I wish I would have gone for a walk on that trail yesterday too.  I didn't do any fishing in the little pond event though I saw someone else catch a pretty big catfish, and I didn't play any pee-wee golf.  We did have my officiating buddies and their spouses over last night and had a nice supper and great conversation around the campfire.  The only disappointing thing about the weekend was this morning's shower in the bathhouse.  There just wasn't much pressure to the shower, but that's a very minor criticism.  I also had a little difficulty with dumping; rather than using the on-site full hookup option, I opted for the dump station because of the closesness of the sites to neighbors, and because I think I left the gray water valve slightly open after the last camping trip, so I wanted to be sure I wasn't using the valves while on an actual campsite until I knew exactly the problem.  But everything ended up fine and we were home and in the recliners at home watching the Bears before the end of the first half.  Now we have looked at the calendar and may have two or three weekends possible for some fall camping before we winterize the trailer and put it in storage at my mom and dad's.

Things I Could Do or Need to Do In the Future

• Paint the shed.
• Continue working on restoring the channel of the ditch.
• Replace seals and gaskets in the pool motor. - AFTER POOL CLOSING

Things to do for Ms. Mitola

- by end of September - Ms. Mitola has all sections

- by second week of December, I take over all sections and Ms. Mitola wraps up

Things to do for school

- NEED TO SET UP 1,3,4 ASSIGNMENT IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM FOR MONDAY - DONE

- get Association new enrollment forms collected and sent with updated roster

- figure out how students can demonstrate completion of a "virtual" post secondary exploration activity

- check and see if remote students have sent read aloud video

- score release pre-assessment essays (connect Doctopus and Flubaroo)

- score and release pre-assessment reading 

- post SAT "flyers" on the wall for me and Mrs. Mitola

Things that I NOW think about with the coronavirus. (9/20)

• Stats
• February 29 was the first reported positive case in Illinois. 
• March 20, there were 585 reported positive cases.
• As of May 29 (3 months), there were 120,260 positive cases and 5,390 deaths.
• As of June 29 (4 months), there were 142, 461 positive cases and 6,902 deaths.
• As of July 31 (5 months), there were 178,837 positive cases and 7,495 deaths.
• As of August 29 (6 months), there were 231,363 positive cases and 8,008 deaths.

• ILLINOIS PREVIOUS DAY
• hospitalizations - 
• ILLINOIS YESTERDAY
• hospitalizations - 
• ILLINOIS TODAY
• hospitalizations - 329

• ROCK ISLAND COUNTY
• YESTERDAY - ____ positive cases; __ deaths
• TODAY -2,789 positive cases; 71 deaths

Prayer for My Heart

Holy Spirit...

Help me have... 

    a pure heart, that I may see;
    a humble heart, that I may hear;
    a heart of love, that I may serve;
    a heart of faith, that I may abide in the spirit. 

                                                                     Amen

Friday, Sept. 18

6:50 a.m. - I'm hoping for strength to get a lot done today at school, so I can leave all of it behind for a little simple camping rest and relaxation through Sunday morning.  Come Sunday afternoon, I'll get back at it again, but a little time completely away will be helpful.

Things I Could Do or Need to Do In the Future

• Paint the shed.
• Continue working on restoring the channel of the ditch.
• Replace seals and gaskets in the pool motor. - AFTER POOL CLOSING

Things to do for Ms. Mitola

- by end of September - Ms. Mitola has all sections

- by second week of December, I take over all sections and Ms. Mitola wraps up

Things to do for school

- NEED TO SET UP 1,3,4 ASSIGNMENT IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM FOR MONDAY - DONE

- update Association records and work on membership stuff

- figure out how students can demonstrate completion of a "virtual" post secondary exploration activity

- check and see if remote students have sent read aloud video

- review FRW forms (e-ticket) completed

- get stream ready for periods 1,3,4 for Monday

- get stream ready for period 2,7 for Monday (Mitola?)

- score release pre-assessment essays (connect Doctopus and Flubaroo)

- score and release pre-assessment reading 

- post SAT "flyers" on the wall for me and Mrs. Mitola

Things that I NOW think about with the coronavirus. (9/18)

39 additional cases were reported in Rock Island County today from yesterday, which is a pretty large number.  It seems that statewide and nationwide, COVID cases are on the rise, likely from Labor Day holiday weekend.  I fear this is a trend that is going to continue.

• Stats
• February 29 was the first reported positive case in Illinois. 
• March 20, there were 585 reported positive cases.
• As of May 29 (3 months), there were 120,260 positive cases and 5,390 deaths.
• As of June 29 (4 months), there were 142, 461 positive cases and 6,902 deaths.
• As of July 31 (5 months), there were 178,837 positive cases and 7,495 deaths.
• As of August 29 (6 months), there were 231,363 positive cases and 8,008 deaths.

• ILLINOIS PREVIOUS DAY
• hospitalizations - 345
• ILLINOIS YESTERDAY
• hospitalizations - 359
• ILLINOIS TODAY
• hospitalizations - 329

• ROCK ISLAND COUNTY
• YESTERDAY - 2,688 positive cases; 70 deaths
• TODAY -2,727 positive cases; 70 deaths

Prayer for My Heart

Holy Spirit...

Help me have... 

    a pure heart, that I may see;
    a humble heart, that I may hear;
    a heart of love, that I may serve;
    a heart of faith, that I may abide in the spirit. 

                                                                     Amen

Thursday, Sept. 17

8:23 p.m. - Today was a "catch-up" day, and I caught up a little.  Tomorrow is another catch-up day, and I hope to really be caught up a lot.  After school I got the camper hooked up and pulled out and started loading up to head out tomorrow.  I'm not sure we'll be on the road at 3:13 p.m. (1 minute after school's over), but it would be nice to be on the road by 4:30 p.m.  We aren't going far, and the place we are going isn't really what I would characterize as perfect camping, but it's a get-a-way, and I need a get-a-way.  Right now, though, I'm going to see if I can do some more catching up on school work things.

10:28 p.m. - I'm going to bed now.  I was able to log in another completed assignment, and responded to 25-30 student emails.  I'm a little further caught up at least now.

Things I Could Do or Need to Do In the Future

• Paint the shed.
• Continue working on restoring the channel of the ditch.
• Replace seals and gaskets in the pool motor. - AFTER POOL CLOSING

Things to do for Ms. Mitola

- by second week of September - Ms. Mitola takes over advanced sections

- by end of September - Ms. Mitola has all sections

- by second week of December, I take over all sections and Ms. Mitola wraps up

Things to do for school

- update Mitola Kapraun logs - DONE

- update Association records and work on membership stuff

- figure out how students can demonstrate completion of a "virtual" post secondary exploration activity

- check and see if remote students have sent read aloud video

- check to see if I can access blog accounts - DONE

- review FRW forms (e-ticket) completed

- get stream ready for periods 1,3,4 for Monday

- get stream ready for period 2,7 for Monday (Mitola?)

Things that I NOW think about with the coronavirus. (9/17)

• Stats
• February 29 was the first reported positive case in Illinois. 
• March 20, there were 585 reported positive cases.
• As of May 29 (3 months), there were 120,260 positive cases and 5,390 deaths.
• As of June 29 (4 months), there were 142, 461 positive cases and 6,902 deaths.
• As of July 31 (5 months), there were 178,837 positive cases and 7,495 deaths.
• As of August 29 (6 months), there were 231,363 positive cases and 8,008 deaths.

• ILLINOIS PREVIOUS DAY
• hospitalizations - 373
• ILLINOIS YESTERDAY
• hospitalizations - 345
• ILLINOIS TODAY
• hospitalizations - 359

• ROCK ISLAND COUNTY
• YESTERDAY - 2,667 positive cases; 70 deaths
• TODAY -2,688 positive cases; 70 deaths

Prayer for My Heart

Holy Spirit...

Help me have... 

    a pure heart, that I may see;
    a humble heart, that I may hear;
    a heart of love, that I may serve;
    a heart of faith, that I may abide in the spirit. 

                                                                     Amen

Wednesday, Sept. 16

Things I Could Do or Need to Do In the Future

• Wednesday, Sept. 16 JHSB at Cambridge 4:30 p.m.
• Paint the shed.
• Continue working on restoring the channel of the ditch.
• Replace seals and gaskets in the pool motor. - AFTER POOL CLOSING

Things to do for Ms. Mitola

- by second week of September - Ms. Mitola takes over advanced sections

- by end of September - Ms. Mitola has all sections

- by second week of December, I take over all sections and Ms. Mitola wraps up

Things to do for school

- update Mitola Kapraun logs

- update Association records and work on membership stuff

- figure out how students can demonstrate completion of a "virtual" post secondary exploration activity

- check and see if remote students have sent read aloud video

- check to see if I can access blog accounts

- enter extra credit homework for sharing blogs

- enter noun Khan Academy scores

Things that I NOW think about with the coronavirus. (9/16)

• Stats
• February 29 was the first reported positive case in Illinois. 
• March 20, there were 585 reported positive cases.
• As of May 29 (3 months), there were 120,260 positive cases and 5,390 deaths.
• As of June 29 (4 months), there were 142, 461 positive cases and 6,902 deaths.
• As of July 31 (5 months), there were 178,837 positive cases and 7,495 deaths.
• As of August 29 (6 months), there were 231,363 positive cases and 8,008 deaths.

• ILLINOIS PREVIOUS DAY
• hospitalizations - 335
• ILLINOIS YESTERDAY
• hospitalizations - 373
• ILLINOIS TODAY
• hospitalizations - 345

• ROCK ISLAND COUNTY
• YESTERDAY - 2,637 positive cases; 69 deaths
• TODAY - 2,667 positive cases; 70 deaths

Prayer for My Heart

Holy Spirit...

Help me have... 

    a pure heart, that I may see;
    a humble heart, that I may hear;
    a heart of love, that I may serve;
    a heart of faith, that I may abide in the spirit. 

                                                                     Amen

Mask or no mask maybe episode 5 9-15

I wonder if we actually do have some folks that can type very quickly....or maybe we have some folks that are very slow.  Just do your best.  I have written on this topic of mask or no masks now a lot.  And I've heard some good opinions both in favor of an not so much in favor of.  A student 4th period questioned the reliability of data, which is a great point to bring up.  Do you believe the numbers of this whole Covid thing including the masks stuff.  When you hear media reports or other reports about illness, deaths, etc... who do you believe or not believe?  The student suggested that media exaggerates numbers; the student also said that medical facilities seem to have an encouragement to declare illiness and deaths as Covid related because of financial incentives.  I'm not sure if that's accurate or not, but it would be interesting to research and discover who may benefit from numbers being inflated or deflated.  But I'm wandering now again from the mask issue.

I mentioned first hour that I don't like masks because I haven't figured out a solution to my glasses fogging up.  I can also tell you that wearing a mask trying to umpire softball or officiate basketball has also been challenging.  And I fully recognize that masks are the be all end all solution at dealing with Covid.  That comes to mind one student's entry this morning talking about the vaccine.  If you are confused on this whole mask thing, are you comfortable with a vaccine?  Will you sign up to get a vaccine if one is approved, or will you try to be informed about the vaccine and decide to wait to see what the first season of the vaccine creates as far as potential side effects.  So maybe we'll have to have a vaccine or no vaccine topic someday.  Time is about up, so I'm going to call for a wrap-up.

Ballah Bognar, Claire Henniges, Sarah Rogers

Mask or No Masks 9-15 4th Period

In case you are wondering, yes, I write - or in this case type - an entry every time we do this in each of the five sections I teach.  So this is episode number four at this topic, and I might be running out of things to say.  One person last period hinted at something interesting...are these two different approaches to the campaigns strategic?  Does Mr. Trump not usually wear a mask because he thinks it will get him more votes?  Does Mr. Biden wear a mask more often because he thinks that stance will get him more votes?  Does it really matter to voters whether or not our presidential candidates are wearing masks at all?  Are there really a whole lot of undecided folks that are going to ultimately determine how they vote based upon whether someone wears a mask?

I guess another way to look at this situation is what each candidate is trying to show with their decision.  Does wearing a mask show weakness?  Does wearing a mask show more adherence to science?  Does wearing a mask show more caring for others?  

We have to almost certainly agree that both campaigns are using the mask/no mask as some type of campaign strategy right?  Isn't that crazy in itself?  Who would have thought last year this time, that in a year we would be able to even utter the question of whether or not a candidate was selected based upon his choice of wearing a mask or not.  Last year this time, the virus didn't even exist in our worlds, and now we can't escape it's impact at all.  Geez...wouldn't it be nice to waive the magic wand and be done with all of it.

To be honest my vote has been decided for sometime, so the mask thing isn't a factor, but I do wonder if these two decisions will impact swing voters or not. 

Jaxon Brokaw, Tyler Free Dylan Stepanek, Dan Desmet, Abbi Hollerud, 

9-15 All Rallies Should Have Masks

I am troubled by President Trump not requiring his attendees at his rallies to wear masks.  I get that he wouldn't want to wear a mask as he's stumping for his campaign at an outdoor rally, but I do think by not requiring masks, he is putting his supporters at risks.  And I do understand that the Trump campaign likely is telling attendees at the rally that they are recommending masks, but recommending masks is different than requiring masks.  In the end do all Trump supporters not believe in masks?  Do Trump supporters think they are physically somehow less likely to contract the virus?  And there is the argument that sometimes I hear when people say they are willing to allow the risk of not wearing a mask because they might also get in a car wreck, but they choose to drive a car.  Isn't the thing about masks about more than just protecting ourselves?  True, we hear at school wear masks to hopefully protect ourselves, but more importantly because this dang virus can be asymptomatic, aren't I asking Leighanna Fues to wear a mask to help me perhaps be safer around my parents.  What if Leighanna did not have a temperature today, but she was still unknowingly Covid positive and unintentionally came to school with the virus, and I was sitting next to her, or she was having blogger problems, and I genuinely got close to her to help her.  Even with a mask on both of us, she could unintentionally pass the virus on to me, and I could pass it on to my grandchildren tomorrow night when they come to my house.  And then those grandchildren could pass it on to their great grandparents a few days later, and it all started just because someone was innocently asymptomatic.  So I'm for masks even at open air rallies. 

Wyatt Harby, Tyler Hendley, Aiden Heymann, Leighanna Fues,

Trump vs. Biden Mask 9-15

 So I did write on this last period as well, and as I'm typing this my dang glasses are fogging up, which is really my big beef when it comes to masks.  Now I realize I'm suppose to be writing about Biden and Trump, so I wonder if they have the same troubles.  Surely there are ideas that help the fogging problem; those guys have to have the technology available to them, right.  Anyway, I digress through fogged up glasses...last period, there were differing opinions, and that's a good thing.  We had three students share, and one person was against masks and basically was okay with President Trump, while two others were for masks and were critical of President Trump and more for Biden.  And that's a good thing...we heard each side, and we listened and we didn't go crazy because someone else felt differently that we did.  And that's what I want out of these sessions as well.  I want you to feel empowered to voice your opinion in a safe environment, and I want (and expect) all of us to listen respectfully and genuinely.  Both of those things are great skills that we all need - voicing our thoughts; listening respectively.  And in the end, we don't have to agree to be friendly with each other, right?  We can feel comfortable expressing ourselves and receiving messages that may differ from our views without vicious attacks.  It saddens me on social media to see how folks cannot share and react and voice without getting into a tirade; we can be better than that.  So when someone volunteers to share, recognize that it is a valuable thing for people from varying perspectives to share their views, and it's also valuable to listen respectively.  Oops, I really didn't follow the topic very well this time...about 30 seconds left and I wandered, and my glasses are still fogged up - dang mask.  I did share last period that I support Biden's perspective on masks more that Mr. Trump's.

Trump Biden Masks 9-15 1st Period

So I must admit now that I'm not a Trump fan.  I respect those of you that are, so while I may be critical for my own reasons, I will always demonstrate respect to those of you that are.  The whole mask thing honestly troubles me.  Who the heck are we suppose to believe?  We see our President not regularly wearing a mask; we see our former Vice-President usually wearing a mask.  Shouldn't our dang country be on the same page?  Scientists seem to be saying masks help; they seem to say that while masks are 100% effective at stopping spread of the virus, at least they help, and doing anything to help is a good thing, right?  Yet, I'm sure there are some scientists that refute the idea that masks help significantly.  Again, what the heck are we supposed to believe?  For my part, if wearing a mask is expected or perhaps legally demanded, and wearing masks help keep our communities more open than the whole lockdown period in the Spring, then let's just wear the dang masks.  And I guess if I feel that way, I feel like our President should be more of a role model of wearing masks and requiring masks at his rallies, even if they are outdoors.  I cringe when some people argue about constitutional rights and masks.  I know masks are bothersome, and for some people downright troubling, but if health officials think it's best to wear masks, then shouldn't we feel obligated to do our bests to help each other?  And I know the virus only affects a very small percentage of folks seriously, but is wearing masks too much to ask to at least try to help that small percentage.  My intention with this topic was really not political, but we'll see what happens with others comments.

Brayden, Jaedon, Chey

Tuesday, Sept. 15

9:08 p.m. - My days of teaching in this pandemic hybrid/remote situation is exhausting.  It's a dang good thing that the students are on a shortened schedule, but now I'm hearing we may go back to full days with all students starting the second nine weeks.  But if students want to be remote, they still have that option.  Oh my goodness...things are bad enough as it is, but then what happens?  Now students are not fully engaging enough when they are in the classroom.  Even when they are in the classroom, most of them don't even appear awake, as I'm sure they are not on a regular schedule for the week.  I said all along that returning to school in this hybrid/remote philosophy was really going to be difficult on students, and parents that thought there students needed at least some structure?   I wonder what they are thinking now.  This whole thing is such a mess.

Things I Could Do or Need to Do In the Future

• Tuesday, Sept. 15 JHSB at Cambridge 4:30 p.m.
• Paint the shed.
• Continue working on restoring the channel of the ditch.
• Replace seals and gaskets in the pool motor. - AFTER POOL CLOSING

Things to do for Ms. Mitola

- by second week of September - Ms. Mitola takes over advanced sections

- by end of September - Ms. Mitola has all sections

- by second week of December, I take over all sections and Ms. Mitola wraps up

Things to do for school

- update Mitola Kapraun logs

- update Association records and work on membership stuff

- figure out how students can demonstrate completion of a "virtual" post secondary exploration activity

- check and see if remote students have sent read aloud video

- check to see if I can access blog accounts

- enter extra credit homework for sharing blogs

Things that I NOW think about with the coronavirus. (9/15)

• Stats
• February 29 was the first reported positive case in Illinois. 
• March 20, there were 585 reported positive cases.
• As of May 29 (3 months), there were 120,260 positive cases and 5,390 deaths.
• As of June 29 (4 months), there were 142, 461 positive cases and 6,902 deaths.
• As of July 31 (5 months), there were 178,837 positive cases and 7,495 deaths.
• As of August 29 (6 months), there were 231,363 positive cases and 8,008 deaths.

• ILLINOIS PREVIOUS DAY
• hospitalizations - 328
• ILLINOIS YESTERDAY
• hospitalizations - 335
• ILLINOIS TODAY
• hospitalizations - 373

• ROCK ISLAND COUNTY
• YESTERDAY - 2,632 positive cases; 68 deaths
• TODAY - 2,637 positive cases; 69 deaths

Prayer for My Heart

Holy Spirit...

Help me have... 

    a pure heart, that I may see;
    a humble heart, that I may hear;
    a heart of love, that I may serve;
    a heart of faith, that I may abide in the spirit. 

                                                                     Amen