From the City of Taguatinga-DF, Brazil.
Monday 8/9/2020.
Here it was early in the morning. Sleepless nights, I always wake up at 5:30 am and wake up to speed up the day.
Every Monday we have a meeting with the “English Coordination”, at 9 in the morning for the management teachers in the afternoon, and at 2 in the afternoon for the management teachers in the morning. We review the actions of the week, we remind the teachers that our Virtual Monitor is already working (we have about 100 student monitors available) and we ask them to indicate students with learning difficulties. The group complained about the amount of work, per week we have to publish two activities on the platform and prepare the classes that are held through “Meet”. In addition, the group was reminded that they must complete the bimonthly “questionnaires” that will be published on the platform in the second half of the month.
The afternoon meeting was quiet, but they are always longer, I think there are many questions and many considerations to be made and our task at this time is to listen and think of solutions to minimize the difficulties for both teachers and students. As soon as we finished the meeting, I went to answer emails from parents and teachers and attend to teachers via WhatsApp, each contact that is made is recorded in documents shared by the unit that manages the school.
At the end of the day, I had Pilates … Time to rest and get ready for tomorrow.
Tuesday 9/9/2020.
Today I got up early, prepared a good breakfast, and organized myself to participate in the pedagogical meeting with the group of French teachers. The meeting agenda includes the end of the semester calendar and the proposed dates for the final meeting with parents. The group complained about having a parent meeting, participation through “Meet” is very small and the participants do not open the camera, many students pretend to be parents to receive a note and see the performance on the platform.
We are in the month of “Yellow September”, in the school group the classmates publish photos of the events that took place in 2019, the teachers gathered, all in yellow, nostalgia takes hold of everyone.
Through WhatsApp at school students seek tutoring … Some need tutoring and others offer to be a tutor. The deputy director had already started planning virtual tutoring carried out by the group of readapted teachers who work in the school library, which will close the gap between student monitors, students attended by tutorials, and teachers.
Today began registration for public school students who want to study at the Interschool Language Centers, in the afternoon I personally went to the school to advance some subjects that required the approval of the principal. Many calls from parents trying to register and complaining that the website is “offline” ask us to register their children for us, but unfortunately, we cannot take that responsibility.
In the afternoon I attended the meeting with the Spanish language group, we discussed the calendar, the teachers suggested dates for the meeting, but most think that the notes should be available on the virtual platform without a meeting since parents do not participate. The group complained about the students’ lack of interest in video conferencing, closed cameras, closed audios, the impression is that the students leave the computer open and are doing something else while the teacher explains.
At the end of the day, an English teacher shared a photo of a missing student, left the house to go to the dentist, and did not return. Everyone was very touched by the story, a very good student, everyone prayed that it was okay.
In the evening I gave my class to students from a private school. The interest is 100%. Participative students, all with open cameras and opening the audio to express themselves. The classes are synchronized and recorded, the student who needs to be absent watches the video and then clarifies the doubts with the teacher in the next class. Another reality! After class, I spent about 40 minutes filling in a journal, posting notes, and answering questions via WhatsApp, distance learning work requires twice, perhaps three times the time we would spend in a face-to-face class, it is quite exhausting.
The End.
