Blurred Lines
The other day I heard this song in the car and pondered how relevant the title is to our situation right now. (Not so much the REST of the song, if you've heard it. Let's just stick with the title.) Here's what I mean...
Going to Students' Houses
In the 18 years I've been teaching, I've only been to students' houses a handful of times. Now, between dropping off books, and birthday treats and cards, I've taken a nice tour of Shakopee. I know who has a great backyard for making forts, and who lives on a gravel country road. A basketball hoop in the backyard served as an identifying beacon for a basketball fanatic student, and I see why another sometimes walks home from school because it is so close. I used to feel that line so rigidly- that school is strictly
AT SCHOOL, and home is home. But at a time where I miss my students dearly, I don't hesitate to drive over and deliver books.
Throughout all this distance learning, I got a new student. How bizarre that I've never met her, yet she's thrown together on Google Meet chats with kids who have been together all year. So today I drove over to her house. I stood at the bottom of her front steps and gave her books and giggled. I got to see how long her hair is and the way she smiles. Was it strange to meet her for the first time this way? You bet... but these are strange times.
Where Should I Stand?
Every family has a different philosophy right now. Some kids are inside, no contact with others. Some can play outside, but far apart. Some aren't changing much, just sticking around more. It seems that no one knows the exact answer. There are so many variations and circumstances to consider. I know "six feet" is our guide... but isn't the exact line really each person's comfort right now?
Between Spring and Summer
I keep telling my class when we chat, "You guys! You get to actually see spring happen." A normal year, we are inside all day, and maybe see glimpses of spring after school. But right now, we get a front row seat. My class tells me which babies are hatching in their yard and Auggie tells me when the trees and flowers bloom around us. We get to experience the blurred line between spring and summer; which in Minnesota means mostly cold with an occasional day in between that gives us summer temps hope.
And summer sounds good right now, doesn't it? I know you want it. ->
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| Swimming turtles in the sun= Auggie's day made |
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| MN River bottoms hike |
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| There's that snark. |
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| "The lagoon" |
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| This might be our Christmas card...act surprised |
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| Hello Long Lake. We've missed you. |
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| Snuggled. |
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| "Smell my feet!" |
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| One of those summer glimpses...wash the car! |
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| Playing Math BINGO. Charly the "teacher" |
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| Boom. Mancala/The Button Game |
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| Concentration and leaf rubbings |
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| Charly's teacher. May baskets and science supplies and love. |
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| Social distance hug |
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| When you're playing with a fire truck and one drives by? Mind blown. |
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| St. John's Fundraiser drink boxes. So excited to drink them all, oops, I mean deliver them! |
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| "Meet the Teacher" drive by! |
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Charly's third time babysitting. I come home and he's shirtless but with a helmet.
Sounds about right. |
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