School closure days 8 and 9

Holy cow.  I have not logged into the Covid-19 dashboard in 2 days.   The US has now surpassed China for the number of cases reported!  In 2 days, the number of total cases has increased by over 100,000 people!

I mentioned two days ago that New York is in a really bad place right now.  Out of the 85,000 cases in the US, they have over 30,000 cases currently.  They have also had 365 deaths.  Since there are no events planned, they are turning the Javitz Convention Center into a field hospital with 1,000 beds.  Here are images posted from the construction.  Looks like it's about ready to roll.

One thing that is AWESOME is that private companies are stepping up and changing their business models... trying to help fill the void of medical equipment for which there is a shortage: ventilators.  Elon Musk (Tesla cars and SpaceX billionaire) is changing over one of their factories to start producing ventilators.  Dyson (the fan and hand-dryer company) is developing a ventilator.  Distilleries across the country that normally produce alcohol are now making alcohol-based hand sanitizer.  It's just amazing!!  

Yesterday, I held my first Zoom class for my students.  I think it went pretty well.  I prepared a small lesson that I did with the students... and asked them if they had any questions about the online platform we're using. I had an hour scheduled and we finished with about 7 minutes left.  I was going to wrap it up because Isabella had a thing with her class.  But my students BEGGED me not to cut the video conference off.  Of the 38 students that joined.... about 20 of them held on for those extra 7 minutes.  They just need to connect!


We're noticing this as well in on-line forums for my own kids.  Isabella has had several more small group Zoom calls.  

Mercer logged into one for his math teacher earlier this week, but the kids just sat there and made awkward noises and random comments.  He has 2 more Zoom sessions on Friday.  Hopefully these are more "productive."  :)   

Mercer's schoolwork is going pretty well.  He's keeping up with what he needs to.  He doesn't have a lot in math, but he has a ton of science work.  He has band practice every day - but this week he also had a research project on a classical compose.  In ELA he had a posterboard due.  I guess he takes a picture and emails to the teacher??   He's pretty good at self-managing and getting done... there's not a lot I have to help him with during the day except for science and also figuring out sometimes where his schoolwork is / IF he has assignments / etc.


Isabella's schoolwork is much harder to manage.  She refuses to do certain things (writing based on the choice board her teacher provides each week) and it's like World War III over here. Some things are too easy (phonics).  Other things that she has to do (based on her MAP testing earlier in the year) are too hard (multiplying double numbers) and she gets frustrated. It's been a really hard balance as Todd has even experienced the melt-downs when he gets home from work.... sometimes I'm still doing school with her (and me) when he comes back and I have to turn it over to him b/c I can't take it anymore!    She has some fun things mixed in as well... little projects.  

Here, she has a paper airplane challenge and measuring.  That... we could manage!  Whew.

Finally - an update on the caterpillars.... the started out at about 1/2" long.  Now, thy are plump - getting fuzzy and several are about 1" long!  This has been fun!








The governor of Georgia has ordered schools to be closed through at least April 24th.