Coronavirus Remote Education and Dancing
Day Two March 21, 2020
I woke up totally anxious this morning at 5:30am after going to sleep at 1:30am. So it seems that the 7 hours I got yesterday was an anomaly and I am back to my old pattern. The difference is that I usually have to get up at that time, however today I woke up after 4 hours anyway despite the fact that I did not need to.
After attempting to go back to sleep and being totally unsuccessful I decided to get up. All I was doing was lying in bed thinking about all I still needed to do to get ready for my students on Monday, not knowing how it is all going to go, stressing over my lesson plans, trying to understand four different online platforms because all of the places I teach are on different online protocols. My school is using three different ways for us to communicate to each other and then my cluster group is constantly on their cell phones exchanging ideas and glitches back and forth. ENOUGH!
So I decided to follow my own advice and take care of myself first. I got up, made breakfast, exercised for an entire hour, bathed, shaved, and gussied (yes, gussied) myself up. Now I feel ready to sit down at my computer and tackle all of the uncertainty that has come my way as a result of this pandemic. One good thing is that Ken and I get to spend a little more time together and have made it our routine to do one outdoor excursion a day to go food shopping and take a walk around the neighborhood.
Whole Foods is limiting the number of people they are letting into the store so shopping for food has actually become a more pleasant experience. The wine store is still open because it is considered a necessity, and it is. So we usually stop by there to get a bottle of wine.
So it is now 9:00 am and I am just sitting down to tackle some lesson planning and online connections to my fellow teachers.
I just wanted to give a big shout out to the dance education community and their willingness to share their ideas and lessons as we move forward. That said, I do think there comes a point where each of us needs to stop reading and taking ideas from each other and trust that we got this, we know our subject, we are creative, we have weathered crisis before, and we are dedicated, passionate individuals who will make the absolute best of this situation.
Doug Risner here. Thanks Andrew, great idea! Jon and I have found the same---seeing each other much more than usual. I can't imagine going through this alone. It's also good to hear how others are managing as well as daily routines. We've started doing virtual happy hours with colleagues and friends, which we've enjoyed immensely. Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting Doug. I am finding it a way of keeping me in a routine as well as a way of reflecting on something that is unprecedented in my lifetime. The only thing that I can think of that comes close is AIDS in the early stages of the disease that presented an entirely different set of social and emotional issues.
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