Week 1 reflections, Spring 2021

 This semester I'm working at self-care.  I'm working too hard and not taking care of myself.  If I don't address this I know I'll regret it.

Unfortunately, somehow I'm programmed that I have to get all my work done to be able to relax.  Yuck.  Where did I hear that?  Why have I internalized it?

I have a very detailed to do list for work.  It covers Mon-Fri and everything that must get done is on the list.  I update the list every Friday afternoon, print it off and Monday it's ready for me to check off.  A few things that missed this list during week 1:

*logistics for my face to face.  I have "take attendance" even though it's but somehow yesterday I marked someone absent who was present.  Luckily she sent an email and asked.  Oops.  I use an old-fashioned grade book and used to use it for attendance but with attendance online I started just making a list of who was absent.  It worked great for many semesters.  Now, students are out with Covid-related issues (or just absent) and I offer a Zoom recording.  It adds a lot more for me to focus on at the beginning of class.  I created a big spreadsheet with their names that I can quickly check off.

*Zoom.  I'm using a webcam to record my classes and it's working really well but getting it set up, making sure it's positioned correctly, etc is an added stress.  And the cord.  I almost trip over it every time I walk around the room.

*4 corners.  This is an icebreaker game that shows students how much they have in common and ways they're different.  We played it in both my hybrid sections this week and it was a success :)

*Syllabus scavenger hunts.  Instead of a syllabus quiz they paired up to talk about the syllabus.  One section did better with this than the other but it was still a win.  And I awarded silly trophies to the winners :)

*A student from my 2nd semester class asked me to bring my guitar again so we can sing.  Yes!  Bring on the fun culture!

*My curriculum is designed to project the ebook up on the board and work through the practice problems together.  Last semester I took the time to take a screen shot of each activity and make the font as big as possible.  It still wasn't great.  This semester I told the students to bring their copy of text and follow along if they can't read the font.  Removed a ton of work on my end.

I'll wrap up.  It was a week of being nervous:  day 1 was cancelled due to a snow day, learning Zoom is irritating and I want EVERYTHING to be perfect.  Always.  When it's not I'm so hard on myself.  Yuck.  I actually pray daily for being OK with OK.  There are things in my life that really must be perfect.  Most things don't and I waste way too much energy worrying about them.

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