Monday, March 15

6:26 a.m. - Well, the snow day from school isn't going to happen.  We are going to get some snow, but right now it's a cold rain.  So the weather to start the week isn't going to be much fun, but it looks like sunny and temps in the 50's this weekend.  It is pay day today, so that helps out this Monday.  And yesterday, the Illini won the Big Ten Basketball Tournament, so I'm still riding on the happiness from yesterday.  The game went into overtime, and those pesky Ohio State Buckeyes put up a valiant fight.  The NCAA Tournament now begins later this week.  No volleyball for me today, so I get one more day off.  I completely shut down myself from any exercise yesterday, and my leg feels better for it.  I may try to walk a little on the treadmill downstairs if I'm interested, or maybe I'll just shut down everything again.  Today at school we take a look at Black Hawk.  I'm always amazed how his story seems so unknown to most of the students, even though most of them have lived in this area all of their lives.  Today is also the first official day of "overflow" status, which should be nice and messy.  Any students beyond eight will be sent either to my back storage room area or to the library.  This is being done to reduce the number of students who may be contact traced into quarantine should a positive COVID result occur from a student in a particular classroom.  As staff, we are being told this isn't about sports, BUT IT'S TOTALLY ABOUT SPORTS.  Many of our students, parents, and coaches want to minimize the risk to an athlete's opportunity to participate in sports, so they are voluntarily electing to be a remote learner.  This decision to go to "overflow" rooms doesn't eliminate the risk, so I still anticipate these same students choosing to go fully remote.  And I can't say that I blame them.  Attendance in the live class isn't required, and teachers have to post a recording of the live class, and teachers have to give the remote students an opportunity to complete the work, so if I'm a teenager, and I can stay home, watch a recording of the class whenever I get up, have time to complete the work, and still be eligible to go to school for practices and games, what's the incentive of getting up to participate in the livestream with my classmates?  I just want to get through the school year.

Things to do for school

• Daily
• edit today's agenda on the Stream with recorded class session - for Mar. 15
• create the next day's agenda and schedule post to stream - for Mar. 16
• add assignments/activities/resources to Google Classroom as needed - for Mar. 16
• score assignments and record into Lumen as needed
• respond to student/parent emails and update grades
• schedule FRW assignment for Wed., March 17

Things I Could Do or Need to Do In the Future

• create and schedule next writing assignment with Smoke Signals
• figure out new insurance notices I received
• get 11/26 and 12/17 blocks off my arbiter page
• renew my teaching license
• make sure I get reimbursed from Northern Illinois Health Plan
• write out bills - medical and NW Mutual and send
• write out IEA payment and send
• enter scores over Native American Voices passages - due Monday
• make a decision about Training Path Presenter Series by March 29
• Arda Meeting Wednesday, 3:30 p.m.
• Continue working with TK to organize financial management things.
• Listen to IF podcasts
• fix the green door.
• Check gmail messages.

Upcoming Spring EVENTS - volleyball, JH basketball, softball

• Tues. 3-16 VB 5 p.m. at Rock Island with Bradley Ebersole
• Thurs. 3-18 VB 5 p.m. at Geneseo with Lloyd
• Mon. 3-22 VB at Fulton with Ralph
• Wed. 3-24 VB 6 p.m. at Cambridge with Shawn
• Thurs. 3-25 VB at Sherrard
• Sat. 3-27 Softball Meeting in Macomb
• Tues. 3-30 VB 5 p.m. at UT with Sergio
• Tues. 4-6 VB at Cambridge with Shawn?
• Thurs. 4-8 VB at Fulton with Ralph
• Mon. 4-12 5 p.m at AlWood JHGBK with Marcus
• Tues. 4-13 VB at Rockridge
• Thurs. 4-15 VB at Monmouth with Braeden?
• Mon. 4-19 5:30 p.m. JHGBK at MerCo 
• Tues. 4-20 5 p.m. VB at UT with Smola
• Wed. 4-21 - SB at Sherrard with Jason
• Thurs. 4-22 5 p.m. VB at UT with Chet

Things that I NOW think about with the coronavirus. (3/15)

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