Queue

Synchronous virtual learning absolutely takes it out of me. I thought running around a classroom answering questions all hour was exhausting. That’s nothing compared to seeing the continual pop up of “Room 2 is requesting help” and having no way of telling Room 2 “I see you! I’m coming!”

In the physical classroom I look at a kid with a hand raised, nod at her and say, “You’re in the queue.” And she knows I’ll be there in whatever order she raised her hand.

I just want to tell kids they’re in the queue.

Also in the physical classroom, when I get the same question more than, oh three times, I can pause everyone and clarify. There is no pausing everyone once I’ve sent them to their rooms. The “Broadcast” feature is limited at best and bringing them out and in of breakout rooms is another technological disaster waiting to happen.

Yes I’m all sunshine and roses tonight.

Anyway, it’s the little things I miss. Queues. Whole-class pauses. Being able to see more than five faces at a time while I’m sharing my screen. Hearing something—anything—while I’m teaching a problem.

Still, my kids know how to make lemonade out of lemons (still shaky on American idioms but I’m fairly sure I said that right). They were working on old FRQs in their breakout rooms. The last question was a create-your-own FRQ, which I figured they wouldn’t get to and would work on their own. I popped into a room to discover they were working on the create-your-own question.

“Just to clarify: you know your questions have to be different?”

“Yeah we know. We figured we could still help each other.”

“Absolutely! So what scenarios do we have?”

One was modeling the rate at which toys pass through a conveyor belt, another the rate at which students arrive for a marching band competition, and another was modeling the flight of honey bees.

They are pure gold, working and helping each other in the oddest of environments. A group of students who were strangers before calc class, here they are modeling what beautiful group work should look like.

Even when I’m exhausted and can’t possibly look at a computer screen for another minute…they—again—soften me and inspire me to be as gracious and supportive and open as they are.