Discovering New Mirrors
By: Lisa Carothers
Tags: Fun, Cultural Sustainability, Covid 19, Education, Gmwp

Like my colleagues, I’ve been feeling the grind of making virtual instruction work. Making our strange cloud spaces meaningful. Making connections through screens. Since the beginning of the school year, I’ve prioritized reflection as a way through it all. I’ve deliberately hung mirrors within our curriculum: We spend time reflecting on progress made toward our goals, and when we analyze our literature, we reflect on how our own experiences and values compare.

It’s been an endeavor coaching students to be okay with looking into these mirrors straight on instead of at some selfie-like flattering angle. And to ignore grades — each a seductive, false mirror convincing students and parents that xpoints = xlearning or worse, that xpoints = xworthiness.

I want more for them, so I gladly throw myself into this rewarding and infuriating mission, wearing it like a pair of glasses every day. In some future post I will share all the details, data, and student thoughts on this work, but today I need a break from that heavy thinking.

Today I’d rather share the silly stuff — Just living in the fun moments

Remember these?! (Personal Photo)

The Fortune Teller

I’m always giddy as I near the end of a one-on-one conference with a student because I know they will laugh — and graciously shake their heads — as they see me pull out the fortune teller I’ve fashioned out of a loose-leaf sheet of paper. You know, those little origami wonders: pick a number, pick a color, here’s your fortune? As an alternative, I like asking them a series of brief rapid-fire fun questions, but there’s something about the fortune teller that’s extra fun.

I had 17 conferences today, which means 17 students received good fortunes.

The Calebs

I was worried for the new student who would start classes with us right before Thanksgiving break. That sort of timing is always a challenge, but during remote learning…? And how would my students welcome him: with rows of silent black boxes? When I introduced him yesterday, however, he received a steady round of chatted welcomes and voiced hellos. Then someone typed, “Another Caleb?!” He was our third. I loved the teasing acceptance. And the joke continued. When students typed their names into the Kahoot, up popped Awesome Caleb, The Best Caleb, and Caleb the Great. And that’s how they’ll be known for the rest of the semester.

From the Confetti! extension site (Photo by Dennis van Kooijk)

The Confetti

I’ve always imagined incorporating sound effects into my classes like David Letterman on Late Night. I’ve never been able to pull that off, but I have discovered how to make confetti explode across my screen. (It’s the Confetti! Chrome extension). So after Jake shares his write-in: Confetti! And when someone guesses the brainteaser: Confetti! And of course while we were all laughing about butterfly balls: Confetti! My students say I confetti the screen way too often. I’m thinking every minute we’re able to pull off remote instruction is worthy of Confetti! Despite their admonishment, they’re using the confetti extension now too.

The Self-Promoter

Our virtual homerooms follow a consistent pattern of activities, beginning with a warm-up question students respond to in the chat. Monday’s question was “What food do you crave most often?” As I was reading out student responses and asking an occasional follow-up, Braxton chatted, “I love how you always read every response. Not all teachers do that. You’re the real deal.” I smiled and thanked him out loud. Then I looked in the chat:

From Braxton to Everyone:

Braxton is awesome

Braxton is my hero

Braxton is the goat

Yup. I read those out loud too. And Confetti!

The Music

I’ve gotten into the habit of playing music as I let students into the Zoom, checking them off one by one for attendance. A couple days ago when Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling” played during attendance, I saw “Nice moves, Mrs. C” in the chat. I probably blushed: In a regular in-person class, I’d be too self conscious to dance in front of my students. But there I was, unconsciously “dancing,” Zoom-style, where it’s all about the head and shoulders. JT was still singing, so I continued head-bobbing and asked the class to join in. A couple students and I “danced” out the song. I think I set a precedent.