My First Year Teaching

What we're seeing with "distance learning" is that it works for some students, but others are experiencing a disaster. I think we can say that in general the students struggling with the distance learning as it is presented have some issues with learning-- disabilities. Other students have had issues with being able to focus on the assignments. I know from being a supervisor that there are some people who are unable to focus on their work at home. They were good employees when they were in an office, but the dog, the husband, their children.. all were distractions when they were home. I'm sure the students are experiencing even more distractions. A mom who homeschools wrote a piece in the Atlantic about her view, that we need to design the coursework so that everything is learning. This goes along with the idea that schoolwork should be related to life. Though that idea is rejected by some educators. However, instead of saying this is relevant to you because..., p...

Good morning scholars. Thank you to the students who were able to attend the in-class session. Here is a summary of the lecture: We are currently experiencing an economic downturn. Within our lives we've seen another contraction in 2007-2008, with earlier contractions in 1988 and of course during the period we are currently studying: The Great Depression. Classical economics calls this the contraction side of a Kuznets cycle. However, classical economics says these cycles are caused by variations in the supply TRENDS of labor and other resources; variations in productivity TRENDS relating to efficiency with which those supplies are used; and variations in the average intensity with which resources get used-- in other words variations in rates of unemployment. (Economics, Samuelson, McGraw-Hill, 1967. P. 244) The Samuelson text goes on to say that fiscal policy can provide relief for these conditions. As you progress in your education you'll hear this called Keynesian Econ...

This week we've had several additional inches of snow here on the Front Range. This morning it is snowing after several inches fell overnight. Spring storms are not unusual. I'm certain that much of the moisture we receive annually comes with these spring storms. So outside it is very white, with snow clinging to the trees and covering the cars and rooftops. The yards are buried in snow of course. It creates a silence in the outside world that reflects on the industrial world that we've stopped in hopes of slowing this virus. My students are on break this week. That means that they are not being given new assignments. However I'm not easing up with regard to what I'm asking them to do. Just no new assignments. This morning I looked at their grades. Basically, if a student hasn't been submitting their assignments at least 50 percent of the time they are in danger of failing. Failing, in this case, is a grade of less than 70 percent overall, including the th...

It is early on Easter Sunday. It's a snowy day and the forecast calls for cold temperatures. Yesterday it was in the 70s. Today they will fall to below 20. The Easter weekend has special significance to the Irish. And II think that a president worth his salt would be able to call upon the imagery of this weekend to call make the sacrifice we are enduring this weekend have substance. He or she would make it clear that this isn't an end or a stall, but a new dawn. However this president is unable to call upon sacrifice as he has never made sacrifice He is unable to lead as he never had that quality and is convinced of his omnipotence. And his followers deceive themselves to follow the fix of appointments to the courts amid the loss of their souls. I do like the weather. Once, when I was a child living on Laramie Avenue I came out to join my family going to Mass. It must have been very early as the sidewalk had no footmarks on it, except one: a set of rabbit prints leading s...

This morning I wrote an angry letter to parents. What led up to this was students not passing open-book quizzes, and in fact answering questions with "IDK". IDK stands for I don't know. How the hell can a student get to the 8th grade and try to pass a quiz with IDK as an answer. Who the hell have they gone to school with? What these students try to do is retake the SAME quiz, asking one student to help them with the answers. Also, getting under my skin is the request of some of these students to get help raising their grade. Their grade, currently, is composed of readings and worksheets on the readings. That is about a third of their grade. And, it is marked as a binary: either you did it or not. The remainder of the work is the weekly quiz. One student asked why they didn't get points for a short answer on the quiz given that week. I've since decided that the tsunami of work that is being submitted, does not allow me to read and evaluate even short answer...

My friend Rt. Rev. Dr. Bonnie Perry is hitting out of the ballpark with her sermons. Ever since the pandemic hit she has been a source of inspiration and spiritual comfort. Her brief sermon, below, is short, relevant and a masterpiece, as was her sermon two Sundays ago "We are not alone."

Finally, last night I got a game night. Actually, my girlfriend has been playing board games with me for the past two weeks. And that is a relief. But last night I got to play a role-playing game online. There was a piece shared by my boss on how we shouldn't be arguing with our children during this time. Instead of arguing about helping around the house, invite them to learn how to do the laundry. Instead of insisting they do their schoolwork, give them a hug. That sort of thing. I think there is a therapeutic value in gaming. And RPGs, in particular, allow us to enter a fantasy world (whether it is a scifi setting or a horror setting or whatever) and live out our fears, desires, dreams and nightmares. So last night I got to play an RPG for several hours. I didn't even notice the pain in my back from sitting on the kitchen stool for three hours. It felt good. Next time, I'll kill an orc in your name. ;)

Home fix-it projects are the rage among people these days. For me, getting my things out of storage after several years it has meant returning things to a condition to enjoy. A case in point is my teak table. Five or six years ago it was a central piece of furniture in my home. I'd invite friends to come over for dinner or just an evening in my garden. I had a fire pit, a green and inviting space and, under a trellis, the teak table. Maybe it was overdone. Maybe it was part of the ambiance of the space, but I put up miniature lights, candles, tiki torches (it was in the Midwest and there are those darn mosquitos). The grill would be going. A homemade sangria would be available. There were comfortable chairs for everyone. Each winter the teak table would be put away. And each spring it would be returned to the garden. Moving the teak table was a two-person job. But five years ago, maybe six years ago, I tried to do it alone. My partner at the time had become distant. Shortly...

Last night at dinner I did something I almost never do: I listened to the news while eating. I should have known better, but sometimes there is good news and in addition, we'd heard through the 'grapevine' that something had happened. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Tucker Carlson, March 23, 2020. Fox News The result: I was put off my dinner. I'm still suffering from indigestion this morning. One more time our government is putting an economic value on life. My sensibilities are spinning. The party that proclaims itself as being 'pro-life', the party that announced it would oppose ObamaCare because there would be government 'death panels' in charge of the end of life, was saying it was more important to get back to work by Easter, less than three weeks away, despite the experiences of Italy and China, despite what their medical experts are saying. Hobby Lobby and Liberty University, bastions of pro-life sentiment, are open despite the certainty th...

#ThisTooShallPass Last week, while working from home, I met a neighbor, a middle school student. She lives on the next street over but is a neighbor in the sense that her property adjoins our yard along the rear fence. This morning while out for my walk I came upon some of her sidewalk art. Here it is pictured. Not seen is the caption: #ThisTooShallPass. Meeting neighbors, whether virtually or at a distance, has been a thing for me since, first, we've moved into a new house and second, it creates connections. On that same walk I met the last adjacent neighbor, also along the rear fence: Dennis. I'm thinking back to a short story I read in school. In this story aliens manipulate neighbors to turn on each other. The end result is the world is conquered. But this pandemic is more like those stories you read about neighbors reaching out (without the actual physical reach) to each other after a tornado or flood. Sure we're scared. Who wouldn't be frightened by ...

Last week I discussed the idea of routine and also the idea of some physical exercise. I'm going to be 63 shortly. My style of physical exercise is different than that of a pre-teen. Cardio is important to me, but so is strength and resistance training and finally stretching. This morning, after dealing with my manly needs I put out the trash and started walking. The sun was low on the horizon as I walked into the eastern horizon. The temperature was about 30 F or -1 C. The distance to the Broomfield baseball diamonds is about a half-mile or so, with another quarter mile to reach Route 287, known as 120th around here. Then a turn to the west to get the coffee. The strip mall near Main Street and Route 287 has an Arc (new hours), an Asian seafood market and more types of Oriental food than I can count. Maybe six? That's good to know. Someday this will come to an end and we'll resume lives somewhat like that we left behind. There's a game store catty-corner from t...

“Every hand we don’t shake must become a phone call we make... Every inch and every foot of distance we put between ourselves and another must become a thought about how we could help that other should the need arise.” --  Rev. Kristin Kaulbach Miles We cannot gather together physically, but "every place can be a synagogue,” --  Rabbi David Ingber You are not alone.

Happy St. Patrick's Day from my home. If you tuned in a bit early you may be experiencing the background of my life, some hard-core traditional Irish music.  Music gives me comfort in times of stress. I've found that I return from time to time to something soothing, such as music when I feel things are out of control. You'll find that there are things like that in your life too. And I urge you to find those sources of strength and comfort and embrace them.  The game plan is that you need to pick up the slack created by the closure of the school and proceed with your own education. The other teachers, Dr. Zeches and I will be available to assist you on this new journey. It is a path that is not easy. Many adults require close supervision to get their work done. But, on the other hand, children around the world are having the same issue you are facing and they have faced this issue before. So, let's be patient with each other. In the next few days, and probabl...

Good morning St. Catherine's! At the stately home of Patrick Boylan, esq., in Broomfield, there was a four-inch snowfall. Except for the limitations of the Content Management System on Sycamore I could show that the first task I set for myself this morning was cleaning my driveway. Why? Well asked sir! Not only do humans require some degree of stable order about their day, but I've found that I'm more creative after doing some physical exercise (and having a lite breakfast, but that's another matter). I'm suggesting to you to follow my advice: do something active first thing every morning. Now, although heavy spring snowfalls are a thing for Denver, I'm really hoping that the next snowfall isn't as heavy. Still, even at my advanced age ("okay boomer") you can see I was able to handle this snowfall. But, hey! I'm old, you know, ("okay boomer")... alright smarty pants. I won't discuss my advanced age further as you are a young...

Yesterday news arrived that Governor Polis has closed the schools for a further period. It seems as though this works and like the social distancing, is going to be painful. My daughter, for example, is facing reduced hours as are others who are close to me. I'm sure that you already know people who are experiencing reduced hours at work. Colorado Governor Jared Polis announcing new Covid-19 efforts. Photo: Official Polis Facebook Page It is probably worth looking back at the Panic of 1893, 1874 and also the Great Depression for some lessons in this. Instead of a run on the banks we are experiencing a run on toilet paper. But otherwise the panic among people about their future is very much in evidence. Economists define an economic depression as unemployment of more than 15 percent. I submit that we are there now, due to layoffs, reduced hours and other effects in the labor market. It isn't over yet and I worry that worse is ahead. Worse, the Federal Reserve is focu...

The challenges of home schooling are apparent to me. I didn't home school my daughter and hope the parents reading this are open to the experience. This could be the way of our school for the next few months as I note that today California and Kansas have canceled the school year. Yesterday was the first try at this method of teaching. What I saw first was parents were either lax (and that's the way I'd approach it) or firm. Maybe we should try a middle path? To the students, the common Google Meeting space has to have social rules for it to work. Because of that, we won't generally use this space for socializing during the school day. If you want to socialize, and I encourage you to socialize, do it in another space. I'm sure you, or a friend, has the technical savvy to create a space for socializing. This will allow the Meetup space to be used by students who have questions. It will also offer parents a way to monitor what you are doing online. It should be a ...