Today begins my first official day of working from home. The Coronavirus has closed schools here in North Carolina and I’ve decided to work from home, at least for the time being.
I’m pleased with what I’ve been able to do thus far. We met earlier this week and got three weeks worth of work together in student packets. They’re picking those up today. Since most of our students have internet access, I’ve also been working on setting up that line of communication.
Google classroom is one of the tools I’ve been using for the past three years and it’s going to work nicely for sharing online lessons. I’ve already posted three of our favorite songs we have learned this year and students now have access to those. Beginning Monday morning, I’ll post a warm-up each day for each of my three classes. This once again is something they’re familiar with and I think it will help make them feel more like a “normal” class day.
Class Dojo is another tool we’ll be using for communicating with parents and students. I posted from my account for the first time today and think I’ll probably do one post each day to keep in touch with families. I’ve not been the biggest fan of this platform, but now it seems like it just might be my best friend for online teaching.
School email is something we’ve been using for a long while. But it’s become an essential tool for staying in touch with our principal and fellow teachers. We’ve had three online faculty meetings over the past three days and I would imagine this will become a part of my daily routine.
I’ve contacted a friend who works from home all the time and she’s given me some helpful hints to get started. Making a list of tasks, establishing a routine, listening to music, and taking breaks are a part of what I’ve gotten from her so far.
So there you go…working from home is the new normal for me. I’ll keep you updated on how it all goes.
David Lee
David Lee 