Author: Denise Krebs

I'm the chief learner in life's adventure.

Day 13 Slice of Life – A Friday of Rest

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Today I needed a day to not work on videos or other school-related issues. Of course, I peeked at my email. If there had been an important/urgent one from a parent, I would have responded. However, I didn’t get any emails from parents or staff members. Hopefully they are all at home resting today too. They need it.

Here are some things I like to do for rest:

  • Write in my journal – Day 73 in #100DaysofNotebooking
  • Cook or bake – today it was making a huge pot of soup with a new recipe from Washington Post “Greek Lentil and Spinach Soup with Lemon“
  • Learn a Bible story – today I’m working on Jesus’ resurrection
  • Read – today a few chapters in Joey Pigza Loses Control by Jack Gantos
  • Take a long walk – today to pick up an Ethernet-to-USB connector

That last one is so I can start working again tomorrow!

I still need practice at this resting thing.

Day 12 Slice of Life – Finding Wifi

Denise Krebs

So, I used 8 gigs of data in two days at home. It’s this Virtual Learning Initiative, not the usual suspect (watching political talking heads).

My husband was glad when I left home to go to school to finish making my videos for next week’s lessons.

They had already given the teachers student wifi access so we could work on our own devices to create screencasts and other videos, but the wifi didn’t reach to my room in the elementary department. That’s why I preferred to do the work at home.

Today, I tried again at school. I started working to edit my video using Screencastify, and it stalled. It was my first attempt using the editor, so I don’t know if it was slow Internet or the editor itself. When I tried to add a second clip, I failed miserably and somehow lost the almost-finished edit.

I carried my open laptop down the hall looking for a better connection. I stopped in a supervisor’s office to a welcoming sofa and snack, but no wifi. I stayed long enough to get a snack, but then was on my way again. I headed down the hall to a high school teacher friend’s room, but she was having a department meeting. Next stop, balancing my laptop and crumb cake, was at the IT Office, where Rey set me up with a new wifi connection, the best in the school, he promised.

I kept walking toward the office until the wifi bars brightened and signaled a promise that this task would finish before the sun set. I found a place to sit in a lonely staff lounge, quiet and the wifi worked–undoubtedly the best in the school.

After a couple hours, I finished editing and uploading the two videos for next week’s lessons. Then I went home, where it appears I have a few GBs of data for another day.

Day 11 Slice of Life – Emails from Students

Denise Krebs

I got an email this evening with an image of a picture book, and a note, “By accident I had came into this story.”

Me: I don’t understand. Is that a problem? Was it a good book?

Student: No, it was not my level. And in every page it had five words only.

Oh, finally, I figured out why she was telling me this. Today’s extension assignment had said:

Extension. Read on Tumblebook Library while logged on to the Tumble Tracker so I can see all the good books you’re reading.

The conversation continued:

Me:  Oh, I see. No need to worry about that. I enjoy reading picture books myself! Feel free to read all the books you want on Tumblebook Library. I will never say that a book was below your level and you shouldn’t read it. OK? Read away. If you open one, and you don’t like it, while on the Tumble Tracker, it’s OK. You don’t have to finish it. Enjoy!

Student: Thank you so much teacher. And goodnight.

Sad, that after this many months I haven’t helped her internalize my message that she can read whatever level she wants to read in my class.

It reminded me of this recent tweet.

Day 10 Slice of Life – Not Giving Up Hope

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Bahrain has been fighting this virus with all stops out–cancelling the F1 Bahrain Grand Prix to spectators is one of the latest. Today the Bahraini Parliament voted on whether to cancel school for the rest of the year. I was happy to hear the report that they are not yet giving up hope for the school year. I pray we will be back to school this year. I miss the students so much, and I’m sure they will tire of virtual learning.

The world has a common enemy, and we will win the Coronavirus battle.

Proposal to extend suspension of schools until end of academic year rejected.

 

Day 8 Slice of Life – Problem Solving

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Today was our first day back at school. It was so great to be together. It’s so important to have face-to-face time to figure out kinks in programs that are new for all of us with this virtual learning initiative. My day of grading online assignments, meetings, and learning new skills was sandwiched between trouble-shooting sessions.

This morning started with some teachers needing to learn to share their Google Docs so parents can view them. Some came into school this morning to a long lists of emails from parents requesting access to the Google Docs the teachers thought they shared the night before.

Tonight I was on the phone with someone, making a screencast of how to create an assignment in our school program. Same thing–parents sent lots of emails. “Where is your assignment to upload my work to the E-Locker?

We got it done, and now I’m going to bed.

 

Day 7 Slice of Life – Break Time

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This morning a handful of our staff went out for breakfast. We’ve been staying indoors mostly. Most of our events are being cancelled–a Lauryn Hill concert, wedding receptions, church services and more,  because of the Coronavirus. Today we ventured out, a small group, armed with sanitizer bottles and appreciation for face-to-face conversation, after a long ten days of Zoom meetings, phone calls, emails, and What’s App messages. More messages, I’m sure, were sent in the last ten days than in the whole past year combined. Teachers and administration will go back to a disinfected school tomorrow to continue our Virtual Learning Initiative with the children who are still required to stay home.

We felt festive while together for breakfast this morning.

Day 6 Slice of LIfe – Geniushour Chat and a Challenge

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I woke up at 3:00 a.m. this morning. Hmmm…Will I go back to sleep? I wondered. I didn’t think so, but I brought my pillow and alarm clock out to the living room. I got myself cozy reclining on the Lazy Boy and tried to sleep for another hour. I couldn’t, so I sat up and started working. It helped me wake up enough to get ready for the #GeniusHour chat. That’s the once-a-month chat I always try to join at 5:00 a.m. in the winter. (Next month, it will start being at 4:00 a.m. Arabia Standard Time.)

Anyway, I was excited this morning. Dave Quinn was leading us in questions about the role of teacher during the Genius Hour experience. I was there to welcome people, and introduce Dave, though he didn’t need introduction. He’s led us before and been at other chats. Anyway, I made it and was awake enough, even if my Internet was sluggish.

At the end of the chat, one of the last mentions I noticed was from Gary Stager. The first time I “met” him was in a workshop at the Iowa Technology in Education Conference in 2011. He was the speaker and I was a fan in the audience. When I searched my blog, his name came up on six posts. In all my experience with him, I would describe Gary as a provocateur. He has provoked me to think many times, and he did again today. During the chat Dave quoted him and mentioned him in the following tweet. Some provocative tweets followed.

My whimpering response, “It’s changed how I teach, Gary.”

Then when the chat finished, I went back to bed, but I didn’t sleep. We had such a nice chat, and then that Pterodactyl came and…and…and…

What? Really, Denise? What did he do? Hmmm…I had to think about that.

He didn’t agree? Maybe.  Was I upset or sad because he didn’t agree with us, he wasn’t as excited about Genius Hour as we were? When I realized those last thoughts, I stopped and considered the importance of provocations in my life. I don’t appreciate agree-ers. I need people to push me, to challenge and disagree and tell me why. It’s always how I have grown.

Hebrews 10:24 says, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” The verb “spur on” in the Greek is paroxusmos and literally means to come alongside and jab into action, in this case jab “one another on toward love and good deeds.”

I thought about Gary’s jabs. He came alongside this morning and gave us a jab. Maybe on some level toward the same thing the Bible is talking about–love and good deeds. He jabs us toward loving students, jabs us toward giving ownership of learning back to those who are most qualified to own it–the learners. He jabs us into action to discover how we can make school good, really good. He jabs us to make education more humane and school curriculum and culture the best, and not to settle for less.

The hour is late, and I will now go back to bed and probably think more about these things. Another post soon about jabbing, but also coming alongside.