Another day, another Zoom

We got to school on the smell of an oil rag this morning, as we are very low in fuel. There seems to be a fuel shortage again now people are starting to move around more. The empty light was on but we refilled from our jerry can at school, but once that is gone we're in a pickle. The commute from Milton Park to Borrowdale must be at least 20 km.

Didn't get all the work I'd set back from some students. For some this is the second week running and the culprits are some of my grade 7's who are writing entrance exams next month. I am not sure how their parents think I will wave a magic wand if they don't do the work. Still have monkeys annotating my shared screen in Zoom while I am trying to go over past papers with them all.

It's amazing what new enterprises have taken off with Corona. I know of people making masks to order but I got phoned just now by a second person offering to sanitize the school for when schools reopen (we think soon). So yes, we don't know when the government is going to set schools to reopen but it is suggested they might do it in phases, starting with exam classes first. The school has already got an infrared thermometer and we've just had the school painted. A parent is going to sanitize all the classrooms etc. for us. I don't know if we'll have to have a Corona test. One of the staff had a family member return from overseas at the weekend. You have to pay for your accommodation in a hotel that has been designated as an official quarantine centre. My colleague's relative was told on arrival though that there was no transport to their accommodation so they had to phone their family and be driven by them to quarantine. Kind of defeats the point. We wait and see what the government is going to come up with regarding schools.

Of fires, Africa Day et le Français

Today being Africa Day, it was ostensibly a public holiday. However, I first had my Monday intro to the week's work with my class on Zoom and then I had my first French lesson with two Chinese five year olds who ordinarily would go to the French School here, but due to Corona are back in China. I managed to work out how to tell who is posting on my shared screen in Zoom and gave that student a bit of a fright by saying, so and so please stop posting on the screen. They couldn't resist straightening my diagrams a little later on but I had to ask if they were paying attention to what I was actually saying about perimeter and not just obsessing over my wiggly shapes. The French lesson went fairly well. I had two hard working five year olds and they did sweet drawings of themselves and their families and I tried to get the vocab across. The little girl claimed she had seven sisters and nine brothers so couldn't fit them all in. Obviously China's one child policy no longer holds or she may be getting her numbers a bit wrong.

There was a massive fire on Monavale Vlei as we were leaving to go to school to prep for tomorrow's book hand out. The fire brigade came and they managed to put it out eventually but it took a couple of hours. Wasn't near our house, but close to houses where I have house sat in the past. Depending on lock down I may have a house sit in June.

Photo credit: Jill Roberts from Monavale

Photo credit: Jill Roberts from Monavale

Photo credit: Jill Roberts from Monavale

Photo credit: Jill Roberts from Monavale

Photo credit: Jill Roberts from Monavale

Photo credit: Gretta Mackenzie

Photo credit: Gretta Mackenzie

Had a bit of time out this weekend. My sister organised an online games afternoon with our cousins Jaimie and Carly, in Cape Town and London respectively. We played Drawful 2 and then Quiplash which were fun. Jaimie has an alternative that you can play without Zoom as Zoom did keep timing out, but hey, technology is amazing.

Doctor's visit

Had to venture into town this afternoon for my routine check up with my psychiatrist. He got his patients to all wait in our cars rather than in the reception. It was a shorter wait than normal. When I was called inside we both had masks on and I sat away from him and all the doors and windows were open. Need to have blood tests done to check on my lithium levels but will have to wait until flights resume to South Africa as the blood samples have to be flown to Joburg. The good news was that I have lost quite a bit of weight since I last saw him. On the way home, I drove past Parirenyatwa, which is one of our major hospitals. There was only one person standing by the entrance dispensing hand sanitizer to those driving in. The person was clad in flimsy blue plastic and it didn't present a great frontline to Corona.

It looks like I will be teaching two Chinese five year olds who usually go to the French School here, but who are back home in China. I need to prepare for the French lessons tomorrow. Will be doing it over WeChat. Zoom lessons continue with my class. They have discovered how to use the chat setting and how to also post on my shared screen. It is a bit irritating that I can't tell who has posted stuff on the screen. We soldier on with fractions and the like. My students keep asking when we are going back to school, but I don't know. ED said exam classes should go back but he hasn't said when or under what conditions, and until he does there isn't much we can do. In the meantime, I get introductions to all my students' pets and they like to keep changing their Zoom backgrounds.

Had a chat with my best friend Nina, last weekend and we exchanged notes on teaching online and then trying to do NILD educational therapy online too and I got to see her delightful three year old, Emmy. This week I was able to chat to my good friends Heather and Delfina, both in the UK, which was lovely too. My sister is keen for us as a family, to try play some online board games. I've been doing her Pilates and Zumba classes still too. Doesn't really feel like Friday but hope you all have a good weekend :)

And it's Monday

Made it through another Monday of virtual learning. One of my class decided to put on a scary mask halfway through my Zoom session this morning and I had to ask them to remove it. He then some how managed to shut himself out of the meeting and I had my phone on silent so wasn't aware his mum was trying to call me to add him back on - arrrgh! We semi got through division of fractions. Not all of my class had done the work from last week. Government has said exam classes can go back but they haven't given an indication of when or how yet. Bit tricky if only my grade 7's and I have to keep up with virtual for my grade 6's but am not going to stress over it and just keep plodding on.

Hit quite a dip this weekend. I think it was partly after Mrs Toovey's funeral and partly other things. Just felt really low and struggled.

Joining my sister's Pilates just now. Need to do some exercise. Will try do some training in the garden tomorrow as I don't need to go into school then.

My heart is heavy today

Today my heart goes out to my good friend Heather and family as we all paid tribute to her dear mum, who sadly lost her fight against cancer. Due to lock down, poor Heather was not able to go and see her mum which must have been unbelievably hard. It feels like a light has gone out and there is a hole where Mrs Toovey should be. We have all lost a very special person and I wish we were all closer and able to pop meals to Heather and give her a big hug. She organised a beautiful service for her mum which was live streamed to friends and family around the world who couldn't be there in person. The song above was played as an instrumental and like Mrs Toovey, it is one of my favourites.

Trying to carry on with everything else. Have finished marking the work that was handed in to me today. Not all of it has been done and we were supposed to go over a past paper tomorrow, but there is no point as not all of my students have done it yet.

Day 1 of remote teaching, how many more?

We screeched into school just after 7 this morning and quickly set up books to be collected under the tree by the entrance. I ended up doing some marking (yes, it has begun already) while waiting. All my parents did collect the work and I then had my first Zoom session with my class. Not sure that it is that effective for teaching some of mine, as I had the feeling I was leaving some way behind. One student doesn't have internet at home so I will have to email her dad at work to get work and instructions to her and then another student didn't manage to get online for the session today. I also need to plan my maths sessions a bit more carefully as I found it hard to get some concepts across today. I also may have to plan more maths during the week as one session today and then on Thursday might not be enough. I am supposed to have two other slots to go over past entrance exam papers with my grade 7s. We're waiting again to hear what dear old ED has to say on Sunday about schools going back and if he will allow grade 7s and then form 4s and upper sixes to come back at least as they are exam classes. One friend said an actuary down south said they are predicting that Corona will only reach its peak in Southern Africa in September. Who knows!

My mum seemed to have a good birthday yesterday and we organised a surprise Zoom friends and family toast for her, with my sister, aunt and cousins and good friends. We're still eating the fabulous chocolate cake that my friend Chiara from Sorella's Pizzeria and Cafe made and my parmesan chicken turned out fairly well, although with my mum being on Zoom lunch got delayed a little and the chicken maybe shouldn't have been in the oven for quite as long.

I'm pretty tired after today. So far not too much marking, but it's going to come and I need to get back into the rhythm. Did most of my photocopying today for next week.

Back to reviewing

Thankfully prep for online school and work packs is pretty much done and dusted, as I have to re-review the wetland paper for the journal. Reviewing has kept me busy for a fair bit of today. Otherwise did some much needed watering of the garden (it is missing Given our gardner who is at home with his family in Epworth for the lock down). I also did a work out that my personal trainer Demi had sent me. This evening I joined in my sister's online Zumba Zoom class. I still don't feel that coordinated trying to follow at times.

Otherwise have been planning lunch for Sunday for my mum's 70th. I am going to have a go at trying to make lemon, Parmesan and garlic chicken. If I can't find Parmesan cheese I may have to resort to Kefalotiri. Have ordered a chocolate cake from Sorellas. Will have to do a bigger celebration with other friends when we are out of lock down and can meet in bigger groups.

I have also been going through old family photographs. My mum was born in Cromer, in England and lived there til she was 8 and then moved to Kenya. My grandparents moved back to England briefly when my mum was 11, before then sailing out to Cape Town and driving up to what was then Rhodesia. My mum has lived in Africa ever since.