I’ve been discussing books with my students on a discussion post titled, “What are you reading?” Some answer with one or two sentences, just the facts: title, whether they’ve finished it, and maybe one basic piece of information. Others write a brief summary, and then there are those who go into quite a bit of detail about the story and how they feel about it. I’ve answered every one, which has been easy, seeing as I’ve only heard from 20 students so far. They range in tone from “I’m posting because I’m supposed to” to “I really want you to know about this book!”
I’ve also gotten a few emails from students with questions about what will be graded (nothing, but it’s really important you do the work, and I will give you feedback!). One student apologized for not doing enough, even though she stayed up until midnight. Her mother told her to go to sleep. I told her to please listen to her mother and take a breath, that the work posted is meant to last for a few weeks. A few students were concerned that they missed a few questions on one of the Newsela quizzes and were wondering if that would hurt their grades (again, no, nothing is graded, but I assured them that it’s important they maintain their skills and to keep up the good work!).
I miss the kids, but I’ve been keeping busy and finding comfort in posting lessons, responding to emails, and recording the rest of our read-aloud to share with them. Then, I got an email that made me tear up. Subject: school. “Hi ms Mann are the things we doing graded? Cause they are really hard to do without a teacher.” I hate this virus, and I hate that it’s keeping me from meeting face to face with the kids who need us most.
My Corner of the Village 