I go to work three days a week and sit (for the majority of my time) in an empty classroom. I speak to disembodied boxes, most of whom don't turn their microphones or their cameras on and will only communicate with me via chat messages. Occasionally I go to greet a small group of students who are actually allowed into the building. I tell them to put their masks on, sanitise their hands, then follow me through the one way system.
A couple of weeks back, the number in the group hit 8 and I had to find a bigger classroom to allow for 2 metres social distancing. I can take my mask off in the room as long as I don't cross the line taped to the floor in front of the teacher's desk. If a student has a query that involves me looking at the screen they're working on (no books, I can't take in books, mark books, touch books), the mask goes back on and I stand closer, still 2 metres away though, and try to peer across at their screen.
On Wednesday morning I arrived in a classroom on the north side of the building and decided I needed a coffee. To get that coffee, and get back to the classroom, I had to walk round the whole building, clockwise, four times.
On Thursday and Friday I still work from home. But that's worse, because there's no wall between work and home at all then. They bleed into each other.
Friday night arrives and I sit down exhausted in front of the TV to eat my fish fingers and Louise usually remarks how quickly it's come round again. I breathe a sigh of relief and sleep well. By Saturday afternoon, I'm dreading work again.
And repeat.
And repeat.
And repeat.
"...no wall between home and work at all..." I hear you, Rol. I've been sat in the same unmoving chair at the dining room table, surrounded by assorted ephemera/crap, for eight months straight. Sisyphus indeed!
ReplyDeleteYep. A lot of that rings true with me too. We have up to 30 students from years 7- 11 in classrooms and the social distancing is close to impossible. We have to teach inside a taped off 2 metre box at the front of the room. For the last 12 days I've been self isolating and teaching my lessons from the bedroom. All beyond bizarre but also completely routine now too.
ReplyDeleteI had to look up that word - Very apt.
ReplyDeleteI'm on the other side of the fence in that my college course is all online now and my classmates are, on the whole, a bunch of initials on a screen, who apparently don't have mics that work. About three of us actually appear on the the screen with the lecturer but that's it. I think they have a whole group chat thing going on that I'm not part of (being the oldie in the class), but it's not really student life is it and I feel for them.
I also of course feel for you guys too - Just difficult to come up with suggestions for how to change things, especially at the moment. I know this is probably not very helpful but when we got married Mr WIAA was a penniless sculptor so we based our lifestyle on one salary. We've continued to do that, taking turns in being breadwinner depending on our circumstances, or sharing it equally. It's meant if I've ever been really unhappy in a job there has been a bit of slack before I do something else. Not sure if would be possible if we were starting out again though.
I'm so sorry to know it's so crap for you at the moment, and for others of course. Just glad you're recording it all here as I wonder if in the fullness of time we will scarcely believe how it has been.
ReplyDeleteI'm used to working from home and at least have a separate space for most of it, but what I'm not so used to is having Mr SDS at home all the time too. Fab that he does all the housework but it's changed the dynamic enough for me to realise how much I appreciate being completely alone when I've got work things weighing on my mind and how tricky it is balancing some aspects...